Debra J. Saunders

Fellow, Chapman Center for Citizenship Leadership

Archives

DC’s Insatiable Urge to Splurge

Debra J. Saunders
September 12, 2021
Asked Wednesday when Congress will raise the debt ceiling by mid-October, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi responded that the House will do what needs to be done “because it’s the responsible thing to do.” What exactly? “We’re paying the Trump credit card,” she said. As long as both parties think they can keep spending money on credit and blame it all on the other side, red ink will flow.

Comforter-in-Chief? Not Really

Debra J. Saunders
September 5, 2021
This time, mourning parents aren’t blaming a president for sending their children to war to die.They’re angry that he ordered a botched withdrawal in which their children were killed — and he thought it was about his grief. He doesn’t know what to say to them, and I don’t know what to say about him, other than: He doesn’t seem to be in command.

Who Wants Higher Tuition?

Debra J. Saunders
August 22, 2021
President Joe Biden and Democrats want to lower the cost of higher education by increasing Pell Grants and forgiving student debt. Biden wants to forgive $10,000 per student. Progressives want to up the ante to $50,000 per individual. Here's a novel idea: Maybe the better way to cut the cost of college is to cut the cost of college.

Beware the Street Name Police

Debra J. Saunders
August 15, 2021
Do I care about Robert E. Lee? Not really. I care about a political atmosphere that is so toxic that the South's heritage must be utterly obliterated. Or else. People are afraid to speak up lest they be labeled as racists, when what they really are is tolerant.

The Witch Hunt Party in the Looking Glass

Debra J. Saunders
August 8, 2021
There was more reluctance than indignation in President Joe Biden's voice when he told reporters Tuesday that New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo should resign. His remarks occurred hours after the Empire State's attorney general, Letitia James, announced that investigators found Cuomo had sexually harassed a number of state employees and his behavior created a "hostile work environment."

Want to Solve Homelessness? Call a Cop

Debra J. Saunders
July 25, 2021
"We can end homelessness in the State of California," California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared Monday. It's a goal Newsom shares with President Joe Biden, despite Democrats' inability to curb homelessness by throwing money at it.

Who Will Prosecute the Prosecutors?

Debra J. Saunders
July 11, 2021
Fun fact: It took special counsel Robert Mueller less than two years to release his report into Russian interference in the 2016 election, dubbed Crossfire Hurricane. It's been more than two years since then Attorney General William Barr named John Durham to head a probe into the origins of the Russian investigation.

California Targets Free Speech and Charities

Debra J. Saunders
July 4, 2021
After the Supreme Court issued a 6-3 ruling Thursday that invalidated California's practice of demanding that charities disclose their largest donors to the state attorney general, lawyer Casey Mattox of the conservative Americans for Prosperity Foundation marveled at the coalition that came together to fight the machine.

Hunter Biden’s Midas Touch

Debra J. Saunders
June 27, 2021
President Joe Biden clearly has no problem with his son Hunter Biden cashing in on the family name. It's something Biden has in common with former President Donald Trump.

Jan. 6 or June 2020

Debra J. Saunders
June 20, 2021
President Joe Biden released his National Strategy for Countering Domestic Terrorism on Tuesday. A fact sheet on the measure cautioned that narratives about election fraud, the Jan. 6 Capitol breach and COVID-19 "will almost certainly spur" extremist groups to engage in domestic violence this year.

Gov. Newsom, Kevin Cooper Is Guilty

Debra J. Saunders
June 13, 2021
Kevin Cooper used to tell reporters that he wanted DNA testing, which didn't exist when he went to trial, to prove that he was not guilty of the four 1983 murders that put him on California's death row. If the tests implicated him, he said, he would drop his appeals.

Bad Election Rules and Stupid Media Tricks

Debra J. Saunders
June 6, 2021
A crisis is a terrible thing to waste, the saying goes. So Democrats have been working to make state election law changes implemented to make voting safer during COVID-19 both permanent and broader. And they're pushing federal legislation to impose their methods on unwilling states.

Who Is That Masked Man? Your President

Debra J. Saunders
May 23, 2021
After the CDC announced on May 13 that fully vaccinated Americans don't have to wear masks, many big news organizations followed not with stories of celebration, but warnings that the guidance was confusing for businesses and governments and jarring to those who had gotten used to working from home.