The Democrats Got Crushed in the Midterms. But "the Republican Brand [Still] Sucks." Here's What's Next.

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It's always easy to confuse the most-recent election as they most important and a bellwether for the next big thing in politics. And there's no question the the GOP has a ton of momentum after winning a majority in the Senate and making gains in the House of Representatives and state houses and legislatures around the country.

But the long-term trends strongly suggest that this recent uptick in the GOP's favor is only a temporary reprieve in the long, slow decline of both parties. Voter identification with both Democrats and Republicans is way down from a few decades ago and political independents are on the rise. That's especially true among voters below the age of 30. What's going on?

Wisconsin Becomes 2016's Ohio

Wisconsin becomes 2016's Ohio

In late summer, as national media reported that Republican Scott Walker would “finally” lose the Wisconsin governor's mansion in November, a man and two women paraded through the state capital campus with homemade pro-union signs, warning Walker's days in power were numbered.

Three months and a six-point margin of victory later, Walker is heading back to his state job.

And Wisconsin has proven, unforeseen by Washington, that when it comes to the 2016 presidential election, it is the “new” Ohio.

How Free Are We on THIS July Fourth in 2013??

http://www.reviewjournal.com/opinion/editorials/how-free-are-we-july-fourth

How are we doing, safeguarding those “unalienable Rights” with which we are “endowed by our Creator” — in support of which 56 patriots solemnly pledged their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor, 237 years ago?

Whole Foods CEO John Mackey on the Moral Case for Capitalism

posted on www.reason.com 

"You have to understand the narrative that people have about business and capitalism is that they are fundamentally selfish, greedy, and exploitative," Says Whole Foods CEO John Mackey. "Of course, I don't agree with that narrative."

"There is nothing wrong with making money, but that's not particularly inspiring. Every other profession in the world, from doctors, teachers, engineers, architects, [and] lawyers, if you ask what their purpose is, it refers back to some type of contribution they are making to other people."
At FreedomFest 2012, Reason's Matt Welch sat down with Mackey to discuss how businesses create value, the politicization of "organic," and the need to shift the narrative of capitalism.
Held each July in Las Vegas, FreedomFest is attended by around 2,000 limited-government enthusiasts and libertarians a year.



 

Noonan: A Nation That Believes Nothing

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390443404004577579571659026022.html

Romney doesn't need to talk about America becoming like Europe. He needs to warn us about America becoming like California.

With 'freedom' in fashion, is libertarianism back?

http://news.yahoo.com/freedom-fashion-libertarianism-back-135834889.html

LAS VEGAS (AP) — To begin: This is not a story about Ron Paul.

Not exactly, anyway. And yet to get where we want to go we will start at OPA!, a Greek restaurant on the edge of town where Clark County Republicans and tea party conservatives gathered on Nevada primary night for what looked undeniably like a Ron Paul rally.

In one corner was Cindy Lake, the acting chair of the Clark County Republican Party and a delegate to this summer's Republican National Convention. A self-described "libertarian Republican constitutional conservative," Lake became a Paul convert in 2007 after she heard him advocate for something she passionately supports: the freedom to buy raw milk.

Henninger: America's Two Economies

With Barack Obama, the competition between the private economy and the public economy is clear.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390443931404577549051487723554.html