Free Republic

The political prediction markets are becoming unusually volatile, reflecting the increasingly volatile race for the Republican presidential nomination. And they also are foreseeing real potential for a Republican wipe-out in November. And in particular, it appears that Donald Trump is no longer a clearly presumptive frontrunner for the Republican nomination. But please don’t shoot the messenger. I have no particular allegiance to any of the current or prospective candidates. I am simply commenting on what the prediction markets seem to be saying. Political prediction markets are similar to both financial markets and sports betting, where people can place their money...

Are you familiar with Mrs. Silence Dogood?How about Publius?They are a pseudonym (fictional pen name) and an allonym (a historical pen name) employed by men in our Founding Generation. Ben Franklin wrote as the widow “Mrs. Silence Dogood” and James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and John Jay shared the name “Publius” in making the case for U.S. Constitution in The Federalist Papers.  The anonymity provided by these pen names allowed focus on the argument not the author.  The anonymity safeguarded the author from political retribution or worse.   These founders, who did not disclose their identity, understood the value of political speech and...

A Unified Fields Theory Until Trump changed the subject to punishing women for having abortions, the Trump obsession of the week was Michelle Fields. I’m glad that story is largely gone. I don’t think it was good for Fields or for the forces opposed to Trump. And it distracted from more important stories, like Trump’s willingness to nuke Europe. RELATED: If Donald Trump Were Eight, His Behavior Might Be Endearing Without rehashing the whole thing again with reference to frame-by-frame analysis best left for the Zapruder film, let me just say I think all of the important and relevant facts...