Right Opinion
The best of conservative opinion and commentary, updated daily.
Monday, July 25, 2016
A Hater’s Guide to Hillary
If it was said once during the Republican National Convention, it was said a thousand times: The only thing that unites the GOP is its hatred for Hillary Clinton. A chasm separates the party’s pro- and anti-Trump camps, the outward-looking Reaganites from the build-a-wall isolationists, the “Lyin’ Ted” Cruz attackers from the “Lion Ted” Cruz admirers. But they all agree that they loathe Clinton. And that leaves liberals dumbfounded. MSNBC anchor Chris Matthews, broadcasting from the convention on Tuesday, was aghast at what he called “this festival of hating Hillary”; when Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey roused the crowd with an indictment laying out Clinton’s record of malfeasance, Matthews sputtered that the “bloodthirsty” delegates were just waiting for Christie to say: ‘Kill her now.’”
Slavery & Pogroms
In the wake of the massacre of the cops in Dallas, I have been thinking long and hard about race relations in America. I think that even Barack Obama, who has been a major contributor to the chasm that now exists between blacks and whites, would agree they haven’t been this awful in decades. The problem with Obama is that his instinct is always to side with blacks, even when they are obviously thugs, punks and gangbangers. He will occasionally pay lip service to police officers and mouth the usual pieties about those who risk their lives to protect others, but its sole purpose is to camouflage his true feelings, which is that cops are brutes who take advantage of their badges and guns to wage open warfare on black people.
Sunday, July 24, 2016
PayPal, Toilets and Hypocrisy at the RNC
When PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel took the stage at the RNC last week, one might have expected him to speak only about the great innovative spirit that is allowed to blossom into new products, services and creations when government steps out of the way. Instead, this self-proclaimed homosexual activist chose to flush his credibility down the toilet with a “throw away” line that was deliberately spoken in order to demean the concerns of moms and dads everywhere.
Pence the Pliable
Crucial political decisions often concern which bridges to cross and which to burn. Donald Trump’s dilemma is that he burns some bridges by the way he crosses others. His campaign depends on a low-probability event, and on his ability to cause this event without provoking a more-than-equal and opposite reaction. Extrapolating from recent elections, the turnout of non-college educated whites this November would be expected to be 3 percent smaller as a portion of the total turnout than in 2012, and college educated whites a 1 percent larger portion. The core of Trump’s support consists of non-college educated whites, a cohort whose 2012 turnout was 60.4 percent. There is a low probability that Trump can motivate recent non-voters in this cohort to increase the turnout to 67 percent. There is, however, a high probability that the way he stimulates such people — still more insult oratory and fact-free “policy” expostulations — will cause other groups to recoil.
Saturday, July 23, 2016
The Trump Dynasty Takes Over the GOP
Watching the GOP convention, you could be forgiven for believing that almost all the brightest stars in the Republican firmament are Trumps. Members of the Trump family were among the best, most high-profile performers. During the first two nights of the convention, the hall began to empty as soon as the Trumps left the stage, its energy and purpose sapped by the departure of the animating family.
2016: Lady and the Trump
Donald Trump has spent his career in real estate, and [Thursday] he became the sole owner of the GOP’s most valuable property: the Republican nomination for president. Late [Thursday] night, delivering a speech few thought possible, the question of Hillary Clinton’s opponent was formally settled, after what will almost certainly go down as one of the most unpredictable seasons of presidential politics in history.
The GOP Nominee Speaks
[Thursday] night, Donald J. Trump formally accepted the Republican Party’s nomination for president of the United States. In doing so, he becomes the first major party nominee without elected political experience since General Dwight Eisenhower won the Republican nomination in 1952. To be clear, American Values does not endorse or oppose candidates political office. But given the historic nature of this election, I want to offer a few observations on the Republican nominee’s address [Thursday] night.
Seeing Through Rose Colored Glasses
Mary Poppins was “practically perfect in every way,” except that Mary Poppins isn’t real. I fall very short of “practically perfect” in any way, every single day. I do things I regret; even more I fail to do things I should. Beyond these sins of omission and commission, however, even when I do the right things, I often do them for the wrong reasons. Hester wore a scarlet “A” on her chest. I wear almost the entire alphabet. Perhaps my “A” is for arrogance; my “G” is for greed; and my “J” is for jealousy. My “S” is in the largest font of all and represents selfishness. I’m just getting started, but that’s enough self-disclosure for now.
Who and What Is Barack Obama?
I have been wondering, now that Barack Obama only has another six months before he has to leave the key under the White House mat, what his presidential library will be like. With nothing to boast about in terms of foreign or domestic policy, with former allies not trusting us and current enemies not fearing us, with an economy that is on life support and a health care system that nobody envies, what could he possibly have on display? Heck, even at this late date, he refuses to divulge anything about his shadowy past, including school records, travel visas and even his questionable sex life.
Friday, July 22, 2016
Is America Ready for a Disruptive President?
Disruptive. That’s a good word to describe Donald Trump’s presidential candidacy, and to describe the sometimes-ramshackle Republican National Convention his campaign more or less superintended in Cleveland this past week. Apple disrupted the music industry; Uber disrupted the taxi cartels; Amazon disrupted the mega-bookstores. Global competition has been disrupting American manufacturing for decades. The inundation of low-skill immigrants unintentionally produced by the 1965 immigration act has disrupted many communities and big metro areas.
The Rise of Cheeto Jesus
It is no easy thing being the Cassandra among friends and party faithful. Cassandra was the daughter of King Priam and Queen Hecuba of Troy. She had the gift of prophesy, but after rejecting the advances of the god Apollo, he cursed her so that none would believe her prophesies. She warned the Trojans that Greeks were in the Trojan Horse. She foresaw the fall of Troy. A prisoner and concubine after the war of Agamemnon, Clytemnestra, the king’s wife, had Cassandra murdered. Cassandra saw all this coming and no one believed her. It is no easy thing to see what is coming and have the party ignore you, friends reject you, and others assail you. Advertisers of my show have been targeted for harassment with some stepping back. Listeners and readers email me on a daily basis to say they are done with me. People have shown up on my doorstep at my home and at my office. Random strangers have berated me in public in front of my kids that I am ruining my kids’ future.
We Can’t Elect a Liar in Chief
The stunt Ted Cruz pulled at the GOP convention in Cleveland Wednesday night may someday become known as his “Mistake on the Lake.” By making a point to not endorse Donald Trump in his speech and telling people to vote their “conscience” in the fall Cruz did his own political future and his conservative principles no favors. He merely made himself look like a political brat and made a few million new enemies in the Republican Party who are unlikely to forgive him when 2020 comes around. Cruz also broke one of my father’s most important rules — always support the party’s nominee.
In a Party Filled With Cowards, Cruz Stood Apart
Say what you will about Ted Cruz’s politics or personality, but it takes a special kind of chutzpah to stand up at a convention — in front of millions of viewers — and unfurl a comprehensive attack on the party’s nominee. It’s also unprecedented. On Wednesday night, Cruz gave a commanding and inclusive speech about conservative values. It was so good that the crowd forgot to boo until he was more than halfway finished. “Stand and speak, and vote your conscience. Vote for candidates up and down the ticket who you trust to defend our freedom ... (so that) we will be able to say, ‘Freedom matters, and I was part of something beautiful.’”
Notes From Cleveland: The Two-Part Rebellion
The main purpose of the modern political convention is to produce four days of televised propaganda. The subsidiary function, now that nominees are invariably chosen in advance, is structural: Unify the party before the final battle. In Cleveland, the Republicans achieved not unity, but only a rough facsimile. The internal opposition consisted of two factions. The more flamboyant was led by Ted Cruz. Its first operation — an undermanned, underplanned, mini-rebellion over convention rules — was ruthlessly steamrolled on Day One. Its other operation was Cruz’s Wednesday night convention speech in which, against all expectation, he refused to endorse Donald Trump.
Why I Am Not a Cruzite
Ted Cruz’s electrifying performance at the 2016 Republican National Convention will be long remembered, and deservedly so. At a critical moment, when the party of Lincoln had uncomfortably but nonetheless thoroughly embraced a lifelong Democrat/reality star/violence-abettor — and when few leading Republicans had demonstrated the courage to oppose him — Cruz did. Politicians live for the adulation of crowds, and it’s bracing, even thrilling, to see one stand up straight when suffering their jeers. Cruz was particularly effective because he dropped the Southern preacher style he affected during the primaries and spoke plainly.
BLM Targets ... Israel?
For months, I have been warning that the left in America is increasingly defined by its hostility toward Israel and anti-Semitism. Here’s the latest example. The Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement recently presented the mayor of Atlanta, Kasim Reed, with a list of demands. The first demand called for “a complete overhaul of Atlanta Police Department’s (APD) training institutions, and instead utilize models based on de-escalation rather than militarized tactics that aid or perpetuate mass incarceration.” That’s not terribly surprising from a group that is expressing concerns about the alleged use of excessive force. But then the group stated: “We demand a termination to APD’s involvement in the Georgia International Law Enforcement Exchange (GILEE) program, that trains our officers in Apartheid Israel.”
Can America Afford to Have a Ceremonial President?
In normal times, the report this week that Donald Trump wanted John Kasich to be the real president would have made more of a splash. According to Kasich aides, the Trump campaign desperately wanted the Ohio governor to be his running mate. Kasich, out of concern for his eternal soul or his political future, resisted the idea. But the Trump campaign pressed harder. At one point Donald Trump Jr. reached out with an amazing offer, according to the New York Times: How would Kasich like to be the most powerful vice president in American history? If elected, Trump would put Kasich in charge of two broad areas of policy making.
Just Who Is the ‘Establishment’?
We all claim to hate the “establishment.” And why not? Look at the mess around us. It’s obvious that the folks in charge haven’t done a very good job. But who is the establishment? The term gets tossed around a lot as an insult these days — even by some people who sure appear to be part of it. There’s a lot that can go into being a member. Education, job, philosophy, position, mindset. All matter. But attitude trumps experience. Some of those campaigning against the establishment assume that anyone holding office is a member. That’s a big mistake. Many of the most courageous warriors for liberty were elected to something. After all, if the government is the problem, then you’ve got to get into it to fix it.
So Much for ‘Unprecedented’ Jail Talk
The Republican National Convention’s rowdy chants about Hillary Clinton — “Lock her up!” — have caused liberal journalists to get extremely distressed. In its lead editorial on July 21, The Washington Post fulminated that team Trump’s “descent from standard red-meat partisanship to unprecedented accusations of criminality displays contempt for the rule of law and a startling disinterest in fact and reason.” That’s strong brew. It’s too bad for them that it’s completely false. Somehow, the Post writers are acting like they were born yesterday, or slept through the last Republican presidency. They’ve chosen to overlook that their liberal friends in news and entertainment were active participants in an eight-year anti-GOP hatefest.
Trump May Be Crass, but Cruz Broke His Word
There was quite a bit of political theater here in Cleveland Wednesday night at the Republican National Convention — and at the center of it was Senator Ted Cruz. He was either a hero or a villain or both, depending on your political leanings. As you know by now, Senator Cruz did not endorse Donald Trump in his convention speech — instead he urged Republicans to vote their conscience. He only mentioned Trump’s name once. And a pretty good argument could be made that Cruz launched his 2020 presidential bid on Wednesday night.