Right Opinion
The best of conservative opinion and commentary, updated daily.
Friday, January 13, 2017
What Happened to the Honeymoon?
The shortest honeymoon on record is officially over. Normally, newly elected presidents enjoy a wave of goodwill that allows them to fly high at least through their first 100 days. Donald Trump has not yet been sworn in and the honeymoon has already come and gone.
One Step at a Time
Seven years after the tainted, party-line passage of ObamaCare, Republicans are in position to repeal it. The GOP has pledged a speedy repeal, but remains divided over what to offer as a replacement.
Liberals Are Putting Conservatism, Not Just Sen. Sessions, on Trial
The Senate confirmation hearings for Sen. Jeff Sessions’ attorney general nomination show that the liberal establishment learned nothing from the 2016 elections and will continue to wage war on conservatives as if they were enemies of the republic — and humanity.
Obama’s Farewell Address a Campaign Rally in Disguise
Barack Obama formally ended his presidency the way he came in, talking to adoring fans about how lucky we are to have him in our lives.
Thursday, January 12, 2017
Praying for You, Right Now!
Social media is used today for every purpose (and many of the posts are not particularly prosocial). Too many of the “news” stories have been slanted so far (sometimes to the right, and sometimes to the left) as to become fake, by any reasonable standard. But Facebook is also used to announce, share, and celebrate positive events, like weddings and births. I often think that Facebook is at its best when it focuses on newborns and toddlers. Facebook has also become a quick way to communicate needs and request prayer when facing human trauma.
Is $10 Trillion in New Debt Coming as Republicans Take Control?
As Donald Trump readies to take the oath of office next week, he will not only assume charge of the most powerful nation in the world, but he will also oversee the world’s largest economy. And Trump will be aided in his oversight of our economy by a Congress controlled by a Republican Senate and Republican House.
Beyond Bizarre
As we edge closer to Inauguration Day, there has been yet another vicious attempt by leftists in the government and the media to delegitimize and destroy the Trump presidency before he takes office. The headlines today are beyond bizarre.
Living Wage Is as Wrongheaded as the Minimum Wage
What future will America have when so many of her citizens lack the ability to engage in critical thinking, refuse to connect the dots, and fail to use common sense? This unwillingness to think clearly is no better demonstrated than by the continued support for the minimum wage. After all the studies and the near-unanimous opinion of economists — and even after the negative real-world effect of the minimum wage — it still remains popular.
Smith Seeks Syria Killers
Celebrating Christmas may be a luxury that other Americans take for granted — but Congressman Chris Smith (R-N.J.) doesn’t. And over the December holiday, he flew to the cradle of the Christian faith to offer comfort to the survivors of ISIS’s war on the church. It was a sobering visit, as a once-thriving population now lives in fear of the slaughter that’s taken so many of their Iraqi brothers and sisters.
A Ringside Seat to the Debt Ceiling Fight
If most lawmakers had their way, there would be fewer rules to restrain them from growing spending and the national debt. Case in point: the 2015 suspension of the debt limit — the maximum amount of money the government may borrow — as part of a deal to increase spending above the previously agreed-upon spending caps.
Academia May Now Be Beyond Satire
The Chronicle of Higher Education, which is a window on the sometimes weird world of academia, recently revisited a hilarious intellectual hoax from 20 years ago. Reading the recollections of the perpetrator and of some who swallowed his gibberish is sobering.
Not So Golden Globes
Meryl Streep has played many roles in her long career and holds the record for the most Academy Award nominations of any actor. Among her portrayals was British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. At the Golden Globe Awards Sunday night, Streep behaved as if she actually had been elected to high office, entitling her to mount a high horse.
Hate Crime Legislation Is a Good Idea That Went Bad
Last week in Chicago, a white special-needs teenager was held captive by four black youths. The victim was bound, gagged, tortured, forced to drink toilet water, partially scalped, and subject to racially and politically motivated verbal abuse. The perpetrators streamed portions of their violent savagery on Facebook.
Wednesday, January 11, 2017
Racist Opinions Are Hateful. That Shouldn’t Make Them Crimes.
Though they’ve been in effect since the 1990s, hate crimes statutes have always been constitutionally and morally unsound. At best they are a symbolic declaration that crimes inspired by certain types of bigotry are especially odious. At worst they are a vehicle for grandstanding prosecutors eager to make a political point. Either way, they should disturb anyone who believes criminals ought to be punished for their harmful *actions*, not for their ugly *opinions*.
Worst of Times
Now that I no longer do a weekly TV show, I have more time to read my local paper. Sadly, that’s The New York Times.
Christian Persecution in America
Actress Meryl Streep’s political diatribe at the Golden Globes awards isn’t the only surprise attention-getting provocation from the event. Nominee film “Hidden Figures,” a box-office hit about the true story of three black women mathematicians who played important roles at NASA in the early days of the space program, is also generating unexpected controversy.
On Fire: The Racist Anti-Racists at MTV News
It’s only the second week of 2017, but it’s already been a banner year for preening liberals on cable TV who are hell-bent on self-immolation in the name of proving everyone else’s moral inferiority. To use young people’s slang these days, you’re “lit,” media progressives. But not in a good way.
The Hearings Begin
Confirmation hearings for key members of President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet got underway [yesterday] in the GOP-controlled Senate. And after the past eight years, that is a beautiful sentence indeed!
Libs Open Sessions With Questions
Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) is used to sitting in on Judiciary Committee hearings. He’s just not used to being the subject of them. That all changed today, when the longtime member was on the opposite side of the table of his colleagues to discuss his confirmation as U.S. Attorney General. For Sessions, it was the first real opportunity he’s had to defend himself against the ridiculous attacks of the Left about his record in Alabama. Alleging decades-old racism, liberals have gone on the warpath against the southern leader, much to the frustration of a chorus of African Americans (including Democrats) who’ve worked with Sessions and have nothing but respect for his record. FRC’s Ken Blackwell was just one of the leaders who voiced his frustrations against what he calls a liberal “lynching” of the former state attorney general.
Fawning Farewells? Not for Republicans
For weeks, the liberal media have celebrated all that President Barack Obama means ... to them. CNN produced a two-hour documentary on the Obama legacy that never mentioned things like annual trillion-dollar deficits. Fareed Zakaria wrapped up the show saying, “He ran an administration that was largely scandal-free and did it all the while under a microscope because he looked different.”