Breitbart’s death is great loss to conservatism
Re: “We have lost our Samuel Adams. Andrew Breitbart, RIP,” Editorial, March 2
There must be a terrible debate in heaven for the Almighty to call Andrew Breitbart to raise hell in the divine regions.
He was a rare conservative who could speak precisely. This is a devastating loss.
Jerry Cave
Bethesda
Obama’s energy policies give GOP the advantage
Re: “Tell America the whole truth about gas prices, Mr. President,” Editorial, Feb. 27
In politics, perception is reality, particularly during an election year. And the perception is that President Obama is not doing enough to lower energy costs.
In his recent speech on rising gas prices, Obama correctly acknowledged that there is no easy fix. But people filling up a gas tank want to see the president working on their behalf to bring energy costs down. Obama’s moratorium on drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, increasing restrictions on oil refineries, and killing the Keystone XL pipeline will be brought up by his Republican opponents if gas prices continue to rise.
And while the economy may slowly be coming back, it won’t matter in November if people’s discretionary incomes are being eaten up at the pump.
President Obama has given the Republicans an early advantage by restricting domestic fossil fuel production. Voters in the general election will not care about Mitt Romney’s tax returns or preserving a bird sanctuary if the economy is still weak and they are paying $5 a gallon for gas.
Kyle Scott
Political science professor,
Duke University
Santorum needs to get serious about winning
Rick Santorum should have won Michigan, but he talks too much. He has to do a better job when quoting classic speeches, which should be done accurately and with respect. A typical example was when Santorum made reference to one of former President John F. Kennedy’s speeches and he said, “I felt like throwing up.”
Going forward, he has to learn how to take advantage of his lead in the polls and use it to his advantage. He also needs to act like he seriously wants to be the Republican nominee. He is the only one who can decide if Ohio will be a should-have, could-have-won state.
Cargill Kelly
Manassas
Campaign finance reform is a bust
Nationally syndicated columnist Robert J. Samuelson recently wrote that campaign finance reform does not work. I agree, but for an entirely different reason than his demonization of superPACs.
The roots of finance reform were planted when I was a young staff assistant working on Capitol Hill. They reach all the way back to the 1972 break-in at the Democratic National Committee and its subsequent White House coverup. When the “Watergate” money laundering was finally uncovered, the GOP bagmen involved wilted under the glare of Congress’s hot lights. Outraged leaders of both parties naturally pressed for federal donation limits.
Trouble is, after nearly four decades, there is no empirical data that proves these limits translate to better government. We only have anecdotal evidence at best. Witness the Gallup poll’s recent findings: Only 10 percent approve of how Congress is doing its job. Thankfully, that’s up from last year, when a New York Times/CBS News poll tracked its national approval rating at 9 percent.
If anyone actually can prove we have better government thanks to campaign finance reform, I’ll gladly switch my vote. Until then, count me as one of Samuelson’s disciples.
Denny Freidenrich
Laguna Beach, Calif.
