Right Opinion
The best of conservative opinion and commentary, updated daily.
Monday, March 14, 2016
Believers, Not Judges, Should Decide What Their Religion Teaches
Last week, over the dissent of Justice Samuel Alito, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a case involving a prison's refusal to allow a Jewish man to study the Torah with others because of the prison official's erroneous interpretation of Jewish doctrine. Israel Ben-Levi, an inmate in the Hoke Correctional Institution in North Carolina, sought a quiet place to have a Jewish Bible Study one hour per week with two other Jewish prisoners. The prison denied his request, because in the prison official's interpretation of Jewish doctrine, a Jewish Bible Study requires a minyan — 10 adult Jews — or the presence of a rabbi.
Cruz Surges in Florida While Rubio Loses His Way
A new CBS News poll published Sunday shows Ted Cruz flying past Marco Rubio in the final stretch of Florida's race for the White House. The new three point lead of Cruz over Rubio reveals what Florida conservatives are beginning to realize; what former Marco Rubio supporters like me have to face: Senator Rubio is like the high school jock who became so obsessed with looking good on the field that he forgot that the real goal was for the team to bring home a victory. He is akin to the star football player who abruptly goes out for track and field, failing to realize that he actually needs to prove himself in practice before he can win the javelin throw.
A New Declaration of Independence for America
One of the most portentous constitutional developments over the past several generations is the extent to which Congress has surrendered its responsibilities to the other two branches of government. Indeed, too many policies have been imposed by political aristocrats in the judiciary and bureaucracy without even a pretense of accountability to the people. Thus, when ordinary citizens are confronted with dictates that reconfigure industries, attack religious beliefs, impose hiring quotas, require trans-gender bathrooms, or justify mob actions instigated by over-privileged brats, they have every right to exclaim: "When did we ever consent to *that*?"
Burt's Lemonade Stand
Although I'm not a fan of "Peanuts," I do sometimes find myself feeling a lot like Lucy, the sassy little know-it-all who offers psychiatric advice for five cents a session. And like Lucy, who keeps conducting an experiment on Charlie Brown wherein she snatches the football away just as the kid with the balloon head tries to kick it, I find myself conducting similar experiments on the voting public. For instance, even after Super Tuesday, Hillary Clinton had only won 190 more delegates in the primaries and caucuses than Bernie Sanders. However, she led him overall 1,052-427 because the so-called "super delegates" had given her a 457-22 advantage. Now why on earth would millions of Democrats even bother casting ballots if a handful of governors, senators, representatives and influence peddlers, can essentially cancel out their votes?
Sunday, March 13, 2016
Is Free Trade Bad for American Workers?
Since the time of Adam Smith, economists have understood that free trade is good for countries as a whole. Of course, trade creates winners and losers. The most common opinion expressed on TV talk shows and in the current presidential campaign is that the winners are on Wall Street and the losers are ordinary people.
Donald Trump's 'Peak' Might Be Coming
Frequently predicted but never reached, "peak oil" — maximum possible production — has been postponed yet again, this time because of fracking. "Peak Sanders" was prematurely announced because of persistent underestimations of how underwhelming Hillary Clinton is as a candidate. The Vermont senator's peak might not arrive soon because his fundraising prowess will allow him to continue campaigning to outlaw fracking. "Peak Trump" — the apogee before the dwindling — might be approaching for the perhaps bogus billionaire (would a real one bother with fleecing those who matriculate at Trump University?) who purports to prove his business wizardry, colossal wealth and stupendous generosity not by releasing his tax returns but by displaying a pile of steaks. The eventual end of our long national embarrassment might be foreshadowed by Donald Trump's pattern of doing better among early voters than among "late deciders": He firmly has those he entranced early; others are more elusive.
Attorney General Lynch Looks Into Prosecuting 'Climate Change Deniers'
In news that should shock and anger Americans, U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch told the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday that not only has she discussed internally the possibility of pursuing civil actions against so-called "climate change deniers," but she has "referred it to the FBI to consider whether or not it meets the criteria for which we could take action."
When Radical Rhetoric and Ideologies Clash
Donald Trump's sophomoric behavior, "winner take all" mentality, and general propensity to insult others and incite anger at his rallies is now legendary. He has said that he wants to punch protestors in the face; he encourages disruptive acts and gleefully challenges the media to get better shots. A senior member of his own campaign team recently manhandled a female reporter (and is now facing a lawsuit) and another reporter was slammed to the ground at an earlier event. Donald is swooped from his events acting as if he is above it all and then disappears into the night leaving behind a restless, highly-charged crowd. How dare he not now accept responsibility?
Saturday, March 12, 2016
Naming Names on Genocide
As the March 17 deadline mandated by Congress for the Obama State Department to determine whether a genocide has taken place under ISIS in the Middle East approaches, a new report by the Knights of Columbus and In Defense of Christians documents the how, why, what, when, and where of the genocide that is, in fact, occurring. The report was reportedly requested by senior State Department officials themselves, who asked for help in making the case that a genocide against Christians was occurring.
The Manhattan Candidate
Carly Fiorina quizzed her fellow candidates during the first "under card" presidential debate. She asked if any of them had received a phone call from Bill Clinton prior to announcing their entry into the race. None had. And if you'd asked that question of any of those in the Prime Time debate, only one would have answered yes: Trump. So it's worth considering what Bill Clinton may have had in mind in talking with Trump. Bill knows that despite Barack Obama saying in 2008 that "you're likable enough, Hillary," Hillary is really not "likable enough." It is a serious problem. Real liberals — who constitute the base of the Democratic Party — do not like her. Or him.
Debate Recap
[Thursday] night's Republican debate thankfully had a lot less vitriol and a good discussion of the issues. There were clear policy differences, but the exchanges avoided the schoolyard taunts that have dominated previous debates. Perhaps the best example of the new-found civility came when Donald Trump tried to explain that while he was pro-Israel, he would, nevertheless, maintain a position of neutrality between the Israelis and Palestinians during any peace talks.
R.I.P., George
George Kennedy died recently. It ended a friendship that had lasted nearly half a century. I first heard from Kennedy in 1967when, in my role as movie critic for Los Angeles magazine, I predicted he would win an Oscar for his performance as Dragline in "Cool Hand Luke." He wrote me a thank-you letter. I, in turn, invited him to my housewarming. Much to my surprise, he showed up with his wife, but stayed only briefly because they had already committed to another party. As a housewarming gift, he brought me the LP of Lalo Shiffrin's score for "Luke."
Trump Isn't the Problem, He's the Symptom
After the Michigan primary, there has been a predictable round of handwringing from the GOP about why Donald Trump keeps winning despite being neither a Republican nor a conservative. A lot of answers have been bandied about: there are too many candidates in the race; the media is too nice to him; Republican voters are stupid; it can't continue forever. The problem is that these answers miss the point. Trump is not the problem. He is also not the cure. He's the symptom. The Republican Party is sick, and has been for a long time. For a generation Republican voters have consistently pulled the lever for whatever Republican has been trotted out; they are only now realizing they don't have a lot to show for it.
Forced Donor Disclosure Is Bad for Democracy
Many don't seem to appreciate something that other countries envy: The American experience includes no coup d'etat. For more than 200 years, after every election, each of elected leaders has peacefully turned over the reins of power. Few countries can claim such a record. Despite our divisions, we remain a stable democracy in which we are free to debate and argue — almost always without violence — the paths we should follow as a nation. Underpinning that stability is the First Amendment, which protects our right to advocate and contribute money to the candidates and causes we believe in.
The U.S. 'Clean Power Plan,' Paris, and India
The decision by the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) February 9 to stop implementation and enforcement of the Obama administration's premier global climate regulation pending litigation has enormous implications, particularly for India. The Clean Power Plan (CPP), promulgated last year by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), aimed to achieve a 32 percent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions from American power plants by 2030. That goes beyond the 25 to 28 percent reduction by 2025 the Obama administration promised under the agreement reached in Paris in December. Implementation would require shutting down the country's coal-based power plants and replacing much of their output with wind and solar, resulting in steep increases in the cost of electricity.
Friday, March 11, 2016
A Chilling Shot Beyond Climate
A headline I ran across this week: "AG Lynch Testifies: Justice Dept. Has 'Discussed' Civil Legal Action Against Climate Change Deniers." At the age of 60, I simply cannot believe that this can even be considered in the nation I grew up in. If the climate issue is such a done deal, why are we spending so much money to tell everyone it is a done deal? And why would anyone in authority try to silence people who disagree with them if we are so absurdly wrong? At the very least, this was designed to intimidate, and it's hitting its mark.
The Billy Mays of the GOP
The presidency has been occupied by lawyers, ex-generals, a former actor and even a peanut farmer, but never before by a pitchman. Donald Trump seeks to become the first. He is the Billy Mays of the GOP, doing what the late, ubiquitous celebrity pitchman never could dream of: making the sale to a major political party and, he hopes, to the nation. Trump fashions himself a builder, but he is really a marketer and, more than that, a salesman, with methods that have their roots in infomercials and before that on boardwalks and at carnivals.
An Appeal to Marco Rubio Supporters
I appealed to Donald Trump supporters to consider voting for Ted Cruz, and I now make the same request of Marco Rubio supporters. I must emphasize that my primary motivation is to advance conservatism, not to defeat Trump, though the two might be more similar than dissimilar. The remedy for what ails America is full-throated conservatism, not a smattering of populist ideas — no matter how forcefully implemented — and Cruz represents the best opportunity we've had in decades for effecting conservative solutions.
Democrats Dispirited, Republicans Hobbled by Excess of Spirit
Bad news for both parties in the primaries and caucuses in the seven days in March following Super Tuesday. Start with the higher-ratings, higher-turnout Republican race. Donald Trump won two solid victories in Michigan and Mississippi Tuesday, after weak showings in the five contests over the weekend. From March 2 to March 8 he netted 124 delegates, to 125 for Ted Cruz, 41 for Marco Rubio and 27 for John Kasich.
The Holocaust and the Jewish Identity
Bernie Sanders is the most successful Jewish candidate for the presidency ever. It's a rare sign of the health of our republic that no one seems to much care or even notice. Least of all, Sanders himself. Which prompted Anderson Cooper in a recent Democratic debate to ask Sanders whether he was intentionally keeping his Judaism under wraps. "No," answered Sanders: "I am very proud to be Jewish." He then explained that the Holocaust had wiped out his father's family. And that he remembered as a child seeing neighbors with concentration camp numbers tattooed on their arms. Being Jewish, he declared, "is an essential part of who I am as a human being."