Kenneth C. Davis
Second inaugural addressess typically shorter, rarely well-remembered
Every four years, a president is sworn in to office in the United States. Traditionally, that person, delivers an address to the nation, laying out priorities for his term. But typically, when that president is doing so for the second time, it’s a shorter address.
Economy or Personality? The Numbers Behind Obama and Romney’s Vulnerabilities
As they look towards the general elections, it’s clear that President Obama and GOP frontrunner Mitt Romney both face very specific problems. Romney’s problem is one of personality: no candidate in the modern polling era with personal favorability ratings as low as his has ever won the presidency. Obama doesn’t have a popularity problem, but […]
The Role of Religion in Politics
On Sunday, during an appearance on ABC News’ “This Week,” Rick Santorum pushed his socially conservative message to new heights by denouncing the separation of church and state. Specifically, he stated that John F. Kennedy’s 1960 speech supporting the split “made [him] want to throw up,” and began the turn away from American values. However, […]
Year in Review: Celeste Looks Back on 2011
Some contrarians out there bemoan the custom of the year-end review. But not Takeaway host Celeste Headlee. She picks up all the “best whatever of the year” issues on the newsstands, clicks through all the year-in-pictures slideshows, and makes new year’s resolutions. She loves the changing over of the years, and is thrilled to share […]
Questioning the Accuracy of Bill O’Reilly’s ‘Killing Lincoln’
Fox News host Bill O’Reilly has never shied away from controversy. This time it is the commentator’s new history book, “Killing Lincoln,” that’s in the eye of the storm. A reviewer for the National Park Service’s bookstore at Ford’s Theatre has recommended that the store pull the book due to “lack of documentation” and “factual […]
The History of the Motto ‘In God We Trust’
“In God We Trust” – that’s what it says on our greenbacks. It’s the national motto and on Tuesday, the House voted to reaffirm the motto. Virginia Congressman J. Randy Forbes, the man who sponsored the bill, says that this vote is to “directly confront a disturbing trend of inaccuracies and omissions, misunderstandings of church and state, rogue court […]