Guy Benson is Townhall.com's Political Editor. Follow him on Twitter @guypbenson. http://www.townhall.com/columnists/GuyBenson http://media.townhall.com/TownHall/icons/TH-feed-icon-128x128.gif http://www.townhall.com/columnists/GuyBenson TownHall.com, Where your opinion counts. 128 Copyright (c) 2013 Townhall.com, A Salem Communications Web. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED jim.dearras@townhall.com (Jim De Arras) Tue, 18 Sep 2012 17:10:00 GMT Tue, 18 Sep 2012 17:10:00 GMT http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss RSS.NET: http://www.rssdotnet.com/ BOSTON, Mass. – Behind the façade of a nondescript building in Beantown’s north end, Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign headquarters is buzzing with activity. Campaign placards, detailed... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/GuyBenson/2012/09/18/inside_team_romneys_plans_to_win 82aa8111-4290-45b9-9077-f1341573d034 Tue, 18 Sep 2012 17:10:00 GMT The American people face an important choice in November. They will either re-elect President Barack Obama for another four-year term, or they will replace him with Governor Mitt Romney. Rather than recapitulate... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/GuyBenson/2012/08/20/eight_arguments_youve_probably_heard_against_mitt_romney 5c6939de-8a30-47c3-8d8a-92fd3d90b40f Mon, 20 Aug 2012 04:01:00 GMT FORT MYERS, FL - Sinking in the polls ahead of Tuesday's Florida primary election, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich adopted an optimistic tone during remarks to supporters at a Fort Myers rally late Monday. Gingrich... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/GuyBenson/2012/01/31/newt_florida_the_very_beginning_of_a_long_process ad8ce193-7666-4285-8540-448e7f165f1f Tue, 31 Jan 2012 05:01:00 GMT American conservatives and admirers of Margaret Thatcher the world over seem to be approaching The Iron Lady, a new biopic about the former British Prime Minister, with justifiable skepticism. Hollywood isn’t... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/GuyBenson/2012/01/18/the_iron_lady_impresses_as_streep_soars f083477b-ff87-47fe-8da7-a359836f2dc8 Wed, 18 Jan 2012 05:01:00 GMT MANCHESTER, NH - Rick Perry's Granite State headquarters has the feel of a typical campaign office: Red, white, and blue "Perry - President" placards line the walls, young staffers tap away incessantly on keyboards... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/GuyBenson/2011/10/15/behind_enemy_lines_perry_campaign_keeping_the_faith_in_new_hampshire 6f4cc71b-b6ba-4933-b5dc-195b0d8873df Sat, 15 Oct 2011 16:00:00 GMT Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz's toxic brew of fierce partisanship and eyebrow-arching statements has been alienating moderate voters and raising conservatives' ire ever since she... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/GuyBenson/2011/09/23/meet_the_woman_running_to_fire_debbie a80e37b4-6851-47bc-8682-424d4d1f2656 Fri, 23 Sep 2011 16:00:00 GMT RICHMOND, VA – More than 1,000 Republican activists and donors crowded into the Richmond Convention Center’s grand ballroom for a state GOP fundraiser and barbeque lunch Wednesday afternoon. The... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/GuyBenson/2011/09/14/perry_draws_big_crowd,_hammers_obama_at_virginia_luncheon 76d349a7-366b-4702-9bd2-8ec37da6bdc2 Wed, 14 Sep 2011 20:21:00 GMT While the presidential horserace will consume much of the political media's attention over the next year, muted Running Mate Match Game speculation is already underway. One figure that generates a disproportionate... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/GuyBenson/2011/08/30/perry-pawlenty_2012 1676f145-1176-451c-b3b4-6699cb23b944 Tue, 30 Aug 2011 04:01:00 GMT President Obama inhabits a very special world. It's a world in which his entire slate of previous statements, policy preferences, and actions is apparently wiped clean every time he delivers a new speech or... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/GuyBenson/2011/07/11/in_obamaland,_the_past_is_irrelevant f54dbfe6-36fc-4f4b-b003-4bda501e98cc Mon, 11 Jul 2011 19:42:00 GMT JERSEY CITY, NJ - With the Statue of Liberty as a striking backdrop, former Utah Governor and US Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman announced his decision to enter the 2012 presidential race on Tuesday. Huntsman, a... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/GuyBenson/2011/06/22/urging_civility,_huntsman_announces_presidential_campaign_on_east_coast_swing 716b454b-5dd2-4dde-88dd-1ca5eb1a6387 Wed, 22 Jun 2011 15:30:00 GMT On March 30, 1981 at precisely 2:27 pm, six gunshots rang out just outside the VIP entrance to the Washington Hilton. Moments later, as three felled men lay bleeding on the ground outside the hotel, an armored... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/GuyBenson/2011/05/25/the_day_reagan_almost_died 24b342b4-7752-4325-b306-0079c90464da Wed, 25 May 2011 04:01:00 GMT President Barack Obama will visit Ground Zero on Thursday to pay his respects, meet with families of the fallen, and mark a historic American accomplishment: Tracking down and killing the leader of a group responsible... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/GuyBenson/2011/05/05/vindication_three_controversial_bush_policies_help_take_down_bin_laden 5b9d91f8-9e5e-4da5-9c71-9b04937b8f93 Thu, 05 May 2011 14:28:00 GMT Last fall, Republicans rode a wave of anti-Democratic public sentiment and achieved historic gains in the midterm elections. The GOP seized the House of Representatives with a net pickup of 63 seats, but fell four... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/GuyBenson/2011/03/14/gop_eyes_senate_majority_in_2012 0251cea9-756c-492b-8f2e-8f5c9ce64c24 Mon, 14 Mar 2011 04:01:00 GMT SKOKIE, IL - Hundreds of Chicagoland residents flocked to a townhall meeting on education reform last week, as school choice advocates continued a nationwide push to highlight the issue during National School Choice... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/GuyBenson/2011/01/31/school_reform_advocates_champion_choice 502133bf-e725-4c28-980c-bb170cacbabd Mon, 31 Jan 2011 05:01:00 GMT Virginia Walden Ford's modest two-story home in northeast Washington, DC seems nondescript from the curb. Step through her front door, however, and you've entered the nerve center of DC Parents for School Choice, a... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/GuyBenson/2011/01/24/the_fight_to_give_educational_choices_to_poor_dc_children 037295ed-c58a-4764-869c-7b61a732162a Mon, 24 Jan 2011 05:01:00 GMT As I fill-in for radio host Hugh Hewitt on his nationally syndicated program this week, I had the opportunity to interview former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty about his just-released autobiography, Courage to Stand. ... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/GuyBenson/2011/01/12/a_conversation_with_gov_tim_pawlenty dbb3c1e5-63b2-407b-a0b7-7be15be6a5cf Wed, 12 Jan 2011 17:08:05 GMT Senate Democrats all share a common aim: Reforming the chamber's filibuster rules and eroding Republicans' ability to impede their legislative agenda. Achieving consensus on how to accomplish that goal, however, is... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/GuyBenson/2011/01/05/democrats_pursuing_a_new_nuclear_option_on_filibuster 47aa2f85-e0de-4b76-8037-fd557679ddad Wed, 05 Jan 2011 14:04:10 GMT Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele defended his track record and fended off attacks from four challengers vying for his position in a debate held at the National Press Club on Monday afternoon. ... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/GuyBenson/2011/01/04/amid_criticism,_steele_defends_record_at_rnc_debate bb19b4f8-e938-4b51-bea7-9a35a6fd8968 Tue, 04 Jan 2011 05:01:00 GMT Following the Federal Communications Commission's party-line adoption of a new internet regulatory scheme, conservatives are already plotting to challenge and oppose implementation of the new policy at every turn. ... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/GuyBenson/2010/12/22/conservatives_plan_countermeasures_to_neutralize_fcc_internet_edict 9a70609e-95da-4555-8717-c9bc8ff6edcc Wed, 22 Dec 2010 05:01:00 GMT On the morning of November 2, 2010, Sharron Angle appeared well-positioned to become the next US Senator from the state of Nevada. Numerous polls showed her holding a modest, but steady, lead over one of the most... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/GuyBenson/2010/12/20/angles_divided_house_aided_her_fall 47c296fe-3a53-4f05-8d36-3341ab31cf27 Mon, 20 Dec 2010 05:01:00 GMT Longtime anti-earmarks crusader Rep. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) has received the support of Speaker-in-waiting John Boehner to be named to the powerful House Appropriations Committee next year. Boehner's blessing all but... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/GuyBenson/2010/12/09/fiscal_hawk_may_finally_land_on_house_appropriations_committee 35ee132e-ffb1-4b1f-ae8e-ccb7df3003fa Thu, 09 Dec 2010 05:01:00 GMT A thoughtful conservative activist in Illinois -- with strong ties to both the state's Republican Party and grassroots movement -- issued the following memo to a State Senator-elect. His sound advice on how to boldly... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/GuyBenson/2010/12/03/a_memo_to_new_republican_lawmakers 07524ba7-1442-452d-8487-a0d206e90acc Fri, 03 Dec 2010 05:01:00 GMT Have you ever heard of a group called UNO of Chicago? No, not the deep dish pizza chain; the Left-wing community organizing outfit. How about the Midwest Academy? Does the name James Cone ring a bell? If you're like... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/GuyBenson/2010/11/26/barack_obama_radical-in-chief 77542b38-5582-4a8b-951b-51963fd6cd3e Fri, 26 Nov 2010 05:01:00 GMT Senators Jim DeMint (R-SC) and Tom Coburn (R-OK) discussed Senate Republicans' scheduled vote on a two-year earmarks moratorium during a Heritage Foundation press call this afternoon. The call took place just minutes... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/GuyBenson/2010/11/16/demint,_coburn_upbeat_on_gop_earmarks_moratorium 2a1b49ec-09f2-485a-a3ef-045ec72f0305 Tue, 16 Nov 2010 05:01:00 GMT A heated war of words has broken out between two conservative groups over conflicting GOP freshmen orientation events scheduled for Sunday afternoon. Leaders of the Tea Party Patriots are accusing establishment... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/GuyBenson/2010/11/14/is_there_a_battle_brewing_for_the_soul_of_the_gop 6c57bb60-17a9-41c3-bb86-a9faeb3389fb Sun, 14 Nov 2010 05:51:19 GMT In a two-part political analysis written more than a month before the midterm elections, I predicted that Republicans would "run up the score" in Big Ten country - an eight state footprint that's home to the legendary... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/GuyBenson/2010/11/11/midwest_massacre_fueled_gop_wave 5f13852b-25f5-4ee3-92f2-4a333cbdcc3f Thu, 11 Nov 2010 05:01:00 GMT After the 2006 midterm elections, many in the chattering class declared the GOP had been reduced to a "regional party" - white, male, and Southern. Since President Obama's election in 2008, the Leftist mainstream media... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/GuyBenson/2010/11/03/racist_tea_party_gop_welcomes_diverse_cast_of_newcomers 73c2510b-299f-4961-a7d1-e267471de7a6 Wed, 03 Nov 2010 11:27:43 GMT The battle over President Obama's old senate seat in Illinois is excruciatingly close. Republican Mark Kirk leads Democrat Alexi Giannoulias by a very small margin in most polls and is narrowly favored to win. But a... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/GuyBenson/2010/11/02/illinois_hardball_politics_democrats_are_prepared_to_steal_this_election fbe02250-a754-47b3-9d0a-6bcca260875d Tue, 02 Nov 2010 04:01:00 GMT NEWTON, MA -- It's a dreary, overcast day in Eastern Massachusetts as I pull into the parking lot of a suburban Boston office complex. I hustle from my car to the front door to escape the drizzle, then proceed down a... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/GuyBenson/2010/10/28/on_the_road_bielat_relishes_underdog_role_in_bid_to_beat_barney_frank 80f00e81-fa6d-4f60-b617-d3bf6fe78f82 Thu, 28 Oct 2010 11:19:22 GMT LAS VEGAS - Last Thursday, Sharron Angle soundly defeated Harry Reid in the lone debate of their high-octane campaign. During my final 12 hours in Nevada, I sat down with a senior GOP operative and a high-level Angle... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/GuyBenson/2010/10/22/on_the_road_the_inside_story_of_how_sharron_angle_won_the_nevada_senate_debate 813fab61-578c-4707-a150-341f30bed9cd Fri, 22 Oct 2010 04:01:00 GMT Mere moments before he uttered the words that ended his long and distinguished career at National Public Radio, Juan Williams foretold his own demise: "I think political correctness can lead to some kind of paralysis... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/GuyBenson/2010/10/21/npr_finally_finds_an_excuse_to_fire_juan_williams 3156c26d-50c1-47ec-b1e9-4283f29d8495 Thu, 21 Oct 2010 19:17:02 GMT LAS VEGAS -- Dr. Joe Heck projects a quiet, earnest confidence about his chances in his very close election battle against freshman Congressional Democrat Rep. Dina Titus. "We're going to win this race, but will be a... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/GuyBenson/2010/10/20/on_the_road_giving_congress_heck_for_nv-03 3417a089-7fbf-4c36-a445-c2f868036936 Wed, 20 Oct 2010 13:05:10 GMT SANTA ANA, CA - Bill Clinton is wagging his finger and issuing a warning to a crowd of about 800 voters gathered in front of the Old Orange County Courthouse in downtown Santa Ana. For the first time in his nearly 30... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/GuyBenson/2010/10/19/on_the_road_van_trans_unlikely_insurgency_in_ca-47 e7a0647f-5775-44ea-abc1-555531130d16 Tue, 19 Oct 2010 04:01:00 GMT SAN JOSE -- California's gubernatorial race is nip-and-tuck heading into the campaign's final two weeks. Former Democratic Governor Jerry Brown wants his old job back, but former eBay CEO Meg Whitman, a Republican,... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/GuyBenson/2010/10/18/on_the_road_seven_questions_with_the_meg_whitman_campaign 7c6cb48b-5ce6-4ba9-8b91-ac969df710b8 Mon, 18 Oct 2010 04:01:00 GMT FRESNO -- "Drive around this city and take a look at the economic distress. It's tragic," Carly Fiorina suggests as we wrap up a sit-down interview in sleepy Fresno, California. "It's way too quiet here." She's... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/GuyBenson/2010/10/15/fiorina_hits_boxer_on_jobs__environment bdbf22b2-bc6b-467f-b121-81e58d46ecc0 Fri, 15 Oct 2010 13:15:30 GMT VANCOUVER, WA--If you ask Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Jaime Herrera shouldn't exist. She's a conservative, Hispanic woman who is the Republican nominee for Congress in Washington state's 3rd congressional... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/GuyBenson/2010/10/14/on_the_road_jaime_herrera_prepares_to_paint_wa-03_red d369b39c-7b96-4195-b357-5d8e1e32981c Thu, 14 Oct 2010 04:01:00 GMT SEATTLE -- Dino Rossi must be weary of political rollercoaster rides. In 2004, he won the initial vote tally in Washington State's gubernatorial race by a few hundred votes and maintained his lead after a recount. A... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/GuyBenson/2010/10/13/at_the_races_rossi_sets_budget-cutting_sights_on_dc 8f3b1273-d2da-46ba-84d2-5bb09267ef97 Wed, 13 Oct 2010 04:01:00 GMT CHICAGO--In my recent overview of GOP prospects in 'Big Ten Country,' I identified Illinois as one of the states where Republicans stand to make significant gains in November. Although that analysis remains intact,... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/GuyBenson/2010/10/12/gop_faces_tough_illinois_battles_as_2010_enters_the_home_stretch 661b0183-8eb0-4921-9952-1cd6e20ef72f Tue, 12 Oct 2010 04:01:00 GMT CHICAGO -- With heretofore "safe" Democratic incumbents like Jim Oberstar, Barney Frank, and John Dingell all playing serious defense this cycle, it's unsurprising that precious few Congressional districts are in danger... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/GuyBenson/2010/10/11/at_the_races_il-10_congress_needs_some_pest_control 689b3680-a6e9-4fc6-b0d7-d5522ab8fbf0 Mon, 11 Oct 2010 13:43:57 GMT "Who was our last moustached president?" I ask John Bolton as we chat in his American Enterprise Institute office in downtown Washington, DC. "Taft," he responds without hesitation, "And the last candidate was... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/GuyBenson/2010/10/07/john_bolton_2012 472b1844-5b02-452d-ab57-28134438fa22 Thu, 07 Oct 2010 04:01:00 GMT "Whether I win this election will be entirely based on the strength of my candidacy and my campaign," says Ryan Frazier, the Republican candidate for Congress in Colorado's seventh district. It seems like a fairly pe http://www.townhall.com/columnists/GuyBenson/2010/10/05/frazier_goes_for_the_knock_out_in_colorado's_seventh_district 457c77d1-ad3c-40f7-b444-dc6eb536a126 Tue, 05 Oct 2010 04:01:00 GMT Let's analyze the midterm election landscape within college football's Big Ten conference-a region that may hold the key to potential Republican takeovers of the houses of Congress. Yesterday, we covered Illinois,... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/GuyBenson/2010/10/01/gop_running_up_the_score_in_big_ten_country_-_part_ii 1878a680-457d-47b2-8005-34d1f5e2e931 Fri, 01 Oct 2010 04:01:00 GMT College football season is well underway, and fan forums are already abuzz with a litany of heated debates: Which is the strongest BCS conference? Should the NCAA institute a playoff system to determine the national... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/GuyBenson/2010/09/30/gop_running_up_the_score_in_big_ten_country f36c1236-47bd-48b1-b074-d78d30888dcb Thu, 30 Sep 2010 04:01:00 GMT Author and columnist David Limbaugh's latest offering Crimes Against Liberty: An Indictment of President Barack Obama offers a comprehensive and damning critique of the Obama Administration's ongoing Left-wing romp... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/GuyBenson/2010/09/23/crimes_against_liberty_and_a_scathing_indictment_of_obama 7156eb1c-b703-4a20-a043-5182ad4e4c63 Thu, 23 Sep 2010 04:01:00 GMT Senate Democrats on Tuesday defeated an amendment offered by Sen. Mike Johanns (R-Neb.) that would have rescinded a provision of the recently-passed health care legislation that Johanns contends will cripple American... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/GuyBenson/2010/09/15/democrats_torpedo_repeal_of_harmful_obamacare_provision d0b81afa-73f6-4d01-806e-45dead4e72d8 Wed, 15 Sep 2010 18:29:17 GMT Nine years after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, thousands of Americans gathered near Ground Zero in downtown Manhattan on Saturday, raising their voices in protest against a proposed Islamic Mosque and http://www.townhall.com/columnists/GuyBenson/2010/09/12/thousands_chant_no_mosque_here_on_911_anniversary 881c0e15-0905-4d8c-9167-0af82a9b91f7 Sun, 12 Sep 2010 04:44:27 GMT When members of Congress returned to Washington after a turbulent summer recess last year, Americans from across the country decided to join them. Hundreds of thousands of concerned citizens descended on the nation's... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/GuyBenson/2010/09/10/remember_in_november_rally_coming_to_dc_on_912 c53f9cea-0f45-41d7-97cf-21526ee20df7 Fri, 10 Sep 2010 20:32:31 GMT Young voter trends have fascinated me ever since the Obama-McCain bloodbath of 2008. As bleak as the statistics were two years ago, I've been building a case that Obama's youth landslide did not, and will not,... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/GuyBenson/2010/09/10/whitman_aggressively_courting_california's_youth_vote 694f979d-5dbe-4ab9-ab06-d2b608aa7b65 Fri, 10 Sep 2010 04:01:00 GMT During an especially venomous debate exchange last week, Sen. Barbara Boxer launched a blistering personal attack against her Republican opponent, former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina. The focus of Boxer's... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/GuyBenson/2010/09/09/barbara_boxer's_taxpayer_tab_$36_million__counting f33f68e7-88a0-4540-bca2-95ef160b0057 Thu, 09 Sep 2010 04:01:00 GMT In light of the still-developing Murkowski/Miller Alaskan stunner, the Beltway media has begun highlighting another Senate primary pitting an established moderate Republican against an insurgent conservative who has... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/GuyBenson/2010/08/31/gop_rep_mike_castle_denies_party_switch_rumor e2d99830-1b12-4e25-ab51-8af3e88d2cac Tue, 31 Aug 2010 20:13:45 GMT