John Stoehr

John Stoehr is managing editor of The Washington Spectator. He teaches writing at Yale. His essays and journalism have appeared in The American Prospect, Reuters Opinion, the Guardian, and Dissent, among other publications. He blogs about politics for the New Statesman and The Washington Spectator, and he's a frequent contributor to Al Jazeera English. Follow him on twitter @johnastoehr.

On The Campaign Trail: Who’s The Real Conservative?

President Barack Obama speaks at The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Annual Conference at the Walt Disney World Resort, Friday, June 22, 2012, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) Washington’s political gridlock, we are told, is the result of ideological head-banging. Few on the left or the right want to […]

John Stoehr
بواسطة John Stoehr
President Barack Obama speaks at The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Annual Conference at the Walt Disney World Resort, Friday, June 22, 2012, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Washington's political gridlock, we are told, is the result of ideological head-banging. Few on the left or the right want to listen or deal, because most are entrenched in ideology. So all we get are foreheads colliding — lots of pain but very little else getting accomplished. While "gridlock" can make for balanced journalism (I mean serious

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Romney’s Appointment Of Ryan Reinforces Campaign Inconsistencies

House Budget Committee Chairman Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis. introduces Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney before Romney spoke at the Grain Exchange in Milwaukee, in this April 3, 2012 file photo. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green, File) There are two forms of conventional wisdom when it comes to presidential running mates. One is that […]

John Stoehr
بواسطة John Stoehr
House Budget Committee Chairman Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis. introduces Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney before Romney spoke at the Grain Exchange in Milwaukee, in this April 3, 2012 file photo. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green, File)

There are two forms of conventional wisdom when it comes to presidential running mates. One is that they are a game changer. The other is that they don't matter. Both are, for the most part, wrong. First let's consider the first. According to a couple of polls by Gallup, voter response to Republican Mitt Romney's picking of U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan

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Could Obama End Up Crushing Romney? If So, Thank The Occupy Movement

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney speaks during a campaign event at Flagler college, Monday, Aug. 13, 2012, in St. Augustine, Fla. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) Political journalists naturally want to be where the action is. If a presidential race is unpredictable, so much the better. That’s why you hear so much about polls […]

John Stoehr
بواسطة John Stoehr
Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney speaks during a campaign event at Flagler college, Monday, Aug. 13, 2012, in St. Augustine, Fla. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

Political journalists naturally want to be where the action is. If a presidential race is unpredictable, so much the better. That's why you hear so much about polls measuring the popular vote. Republican Mitt Romney has been very close or dead-even with President Barack Obama for months. Tension, drama, excitement! Who knows what will

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Tattoos Don’t Make A Terrorist — Mass Killings Do

Amardeep Kaleka, son of the president of the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin, center, comforts members of the temple, Monday, Aug. 6, 2012, in Oak Creek, Wis., where a gunman killed six people a day earlier, before being shot and killed himself by police. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green) (CONNECTICUT) — We don’t know why gunman Wade […]

John Stoehr
بواسطة John Stoehr
Amardeep Kaleka, son of the president of the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin, center, comforts members of the temple, Monday, Aug. 6, 2012, in Oak Creek, Wis., where a gunman killed six people a day earlier, before being shot and killed himself by police. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)

(CONNECTICUT) -- We don't know why gunman Wade Michael Page entered a Sikh temple over the weekend and shot to death six people and wounded three others, including a police officer assisting a victim, in Oak Creek, Wis. And perhaps we will never know. Page is among the dead. There are faint clues. Page's body was festooned with tattoos, many

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Romney’s Tax Plan Bad For The Economy, Hurts The Rich And Poor

In this July 23, 2012, photo Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, hosts a small-business roundtable during a campaign stop at Endural LLC in Costa Mesa, Calif. (AP Photo/Jason Redmond) (CONNECTICUT) — I have been looking at this analysis of Mitt Romney’s tax plan trying to figure out what he’s thinking. The Republican candidate […]

John Stoehr
بواسطة John Stoehr
In this July 23, 2012, photo Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, hosts a small-business roundtable during a campaign stop at Endural LLC in Costa Mesa, Calif. (AP Photo/Jason Redmond)

(CONNECTICUT) -- I have been looking at this analysis of Mitt Romney's tax plan trying to figure out what he's thinking. The Republican candidate for president wants to slash income taxes across the board by 20 percent. On the surface, that looks very appealing, but on closer inspection, things aren't what they appear to be. To pay for those

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If We Call It Terrorism, We Might Finally Reform Our Gun Laws

A sign that reads “We Will Remember,” hangs under a U.S. flag across the street from the Century 16 movie theater, early Friday, July 27, 2012 in Aurora, Colo. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren) A small but growing debate has emerged in the wake of the mass shooting in Aurora, Colo., the largest in American history, […]

John Stoehr
بواسطة John Stoehr
A sign that reads "We Will Remember," hangs under a U.S. flag across the street from the Century 16 movie theater, early Friday, July 27, 2012 in Aurora, Colo. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

A small but growing debate has emerged in the wake of the mass shooting in Aurora, Colo., the largest in American history, in which 12 people died and 58 were wounded. The question: Was it an act of terrorism? Not according to federal authorities. The FBI said 24-year-old James Holmes, the only suspect, had no ties to known terrorist

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What’s The Point Of Romney’s Trip Overseas?

In this Jan. 31, 2012 file photo, Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney celebrates after winning the Florida primary election, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File) Republican Mitt Romney wants to burnish his foreign policy image with a trip to Britain, Poland and Israel this week, but I wonder if seven days […]

John Stoehr
بواسطة John Stoehr
In this Jan. 31, 2012 file photo, Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney celebrates after winning the Florida primary election, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)

Republican Mitt Romney wants to burnish his foreign policy image with a trip to Britain, Poland and Israel this week, but I wonder if seven days off the campaign trail is really worth it. I mean, seriously. Poland? All candidates want to practice looking presidential overseas, but not all face the level of scrutiny that Romney faces over his tax

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