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Jennifer Harper

Jennifer Harper

jharper@washingtontimes.com

Jennifer Harper wrote the daily Inside the Beltway column for The Washington Times.

Articles by Jennifer Harper

In this Nov. 14, 2019, photo, students walk on the campus of Utah Valley University, in Orem, Utah. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

How student-bailout beneficiaries plan to spend $400 billion

President Biden's $400 billion student-loan bailout is a startling amount to consider. But those who could get the generous federal aid may not be interested in spending the money on higher education. There is insight on current attitudes. And there's a poll, of course -- and it's specific.

October 31, 2022
A display of Halloween pumpkins sits on the front porch of a home Thursday, Oct. 7, 2021, in Garretson, S.D. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) ** FILE **

Seasonal cancel culture

The judgmental crowd has not taken a day off on Halloween. HBO host Bill Maher has noticed that protests against certain types of costumes for cultural or political reasons are still a factor. Dressing as former President Donald Trump, Elvis, the coronavirus, monkeypox, British royalty or ethnic characters are discouraged on "forbidden costume lists" published by several news organizations.

October 30, 2022
People react with delight during a rally featuring former President Donald Trump, My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell and other crowd favorites on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022, in Robstown, Texas. (AP Photo/Nick Wagner)

Trump schedules series of rallies, brings total to 30 for year

Former President Donald Trump turns 77 on his next birthday in June. His upcoming schedule, however, does not look like it was planned by a septuagenarian. He is about to mark his 30th political rally of the year in an upcoming event.

October 27, 2022
The New York Young Republicans Club — established in 1911 — has a full social calendar for Halloween and Election Night, among other things. (Courtesy of the New York Young Republicans Club)

Young Republicans cheer ‘MAGAween’

It's always interesting to check in on the New York Young Republicans Club, which was established in 1911 and has organizational roots reaching all the way back to the New York Young Men's Republican Union, which was formed in June 1856. They are, to say the least, very active and host a speaker's series, networking events, get-out-the-vote efforts and a "Wide Awakes" group, which is described as a "political strike force."

October 26, 2022
U.S. Marines of the 28th Regiment, 5th Division, raise the U.S. flag on Mount Suribachi, Iwo Jima, on Feb. 23, 1945. Strategically located only 660 miles from Tokyo, the Pacific island became the site of one of the bloodiest, most famous battles of World War II against Japan. (AP Photo/Joe Rosenthal, File)

OSS Society meeting delivers most notable toast to America

Let's take a moment to consider this toast delivered at a recent gathering hosted by the OSS Society -- which honors the mighty and innovative Office of Strategic Services, the World War II-era predecessor to the CIA.

October 25, 2022
A new book on the life and times of talk radio great Rush LImbaugh arrives Tuesday from Threshold Editions, the conservative imprint of Simon & Schuster. (Image courtesy of Threshold Editions)

‘Radio’s Greatest’: A must-read book on Rush Limbaugh

Is there still a must-read for Republicans and conservatives out there? The answer is yes -- and it can be found in a handsome book that will resonate with the millions of people who listened to the late talk-radio host Rush Limbaugh each day.

October 24, 2022
In this Monday, Sept. 3, 2018 photo, a U.S. flag flies on the U.S. Capitol on a sunny day in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Harvard poll provides good news for Republicans

A comprehensive and wide-ranging poll of U.S. voters by Harvard University's Center for American Political Studies and Harris Poll has some promising findings for the GOP, which has a 49% approval rating to President Biden's 42%. But wait, there's more.

October 18, 2022
In this photo released by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy leads a meeting of the National Security and Defense Council in Kyiv, Ukraine on Sept. 30, 2022. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has a book set for December release

Things happen quickly in the publishing world. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has a new book arriving in seven weeks, courtesy of a major U.S. publisher. On Dec. 6, Penguin Random House will release "A Message From Ukraine," which is based on the young leader's effective public outreach to his people and the world after Russia's invasion.

October 17, 2022
In this Feb. 27, 2013, photo illustration, hands type on a computer keyboard in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)

RealClear to start scrutinizing and rating pollsters for accuracy

One bustling fixture of the political world is about to get scrutinized. Closely. RealClearPolitics.com has announced it will soon launch a "Polling Accountability Initiative" -- a new plan to peek at the ever-present polls that crowd media coverage.

October 13, 2022
A sign greets voters before they step up to cast their ballot at a polling site, Tuesday, July 22, 2014, in Atlanta, Georgia. (AP Photo)

Here’s why Democrats are losing

One veteran observer of national politics offers insight into the eroding popularity of the Democratic Party, its political candidates and its public message. Saul Anuzis -- former chairman of the Michigan Republican Party and now president of the 60 Plus Association -- has made a telling list titled "Why Democrats Are Losing." It's a straightforward examination of the key contributing factors.

October 12, 2022
President Joe Biden speaks to the media before boarding Air Force One at Des Moines International Airport, in Des Moines Iowa, April 12, 2022, en route to Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

Biden agenda facing headwinds; Biden himself a headwind to others

Earlier this year, multiple news organizations declared that President Biden was encountering "headwinds" on many fronts that could thwart his agenda. Headwinds are difficult to navigate and they impede progress -- quite the opposite of those kinder breezes which push from the back, of course.

October 11, 2022
President Joe Biden and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis arrive to tour an area impacted by Hurricane Ian on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2022, in Fort Myers Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

DeSantis goes national, helped by his response to hurricane

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has won some respectable national approval following his response to Hurricane Ian: 55% of U.S. adults overall approve of his response to the deadly event, according to an Economist/YouGov poll released Sunday.

October 10, 2022
President Biden and first lady Jill Biden arrive at Delaware Air National Guard Base in New Castle, Del., Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022, to travel to Wilmington, Del. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

The Traveling Democrats

Certain very high-profile Democrats seem to prefer the lifestyle of places other than the nation's capital these days.

October 9, 2022
This cover image released by Crown/Penguin Random House shows "The Light We Carry" by Michelle Obama. The former first lady will embark oa multi-city tour this fall in support of her new book, “The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times,” beginning mid-November in Washington. D.C. and ending a month later in Los Angeles. (Crown/PRH via AP)

Michelle Obama schedules tour to promote latest book

Former first lady Michelle Obama has a new book titled "The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times" arriving in mid-November -- complete with a grand national tour with an "all-star lineup," according to Live Nation Entertainment, which plans the logistics for major musical acts.

October 6, 2022
Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker campaigns Sept. 7, 2021, in Emerson, Ga.. (AP Photos/Bill Barrow, File)

Law-and-order forces backing Republican candidates

It is a unique and powerful voting bloc -- and the Republican Party has noticed. "With crime on the rise and radical Democrats taking their soft-on-crime policies to the extreme, law enforcement officers are overwhelmingly supporting law-and-order Republican candidates," advises a comprehensive study of this phenomenon compiled by the Republican National Committee.

October 5, 2022