Right Opinion
The best of conservative opinion and commentary, updated daily.
Saturday, January 30, 2016
Grow Up!
Of all the many things said about Donald Trump, what was said by Roger Ailes, head of the Fox News Channel, said it all in just two words: "Grow up!" It is amazing how many people have been oblivious to this middle-aged man's spoiled brat behavior, his childish boastfulness about things he says he is going to do, and his petulant response to every criticism with ad hominem replies. He has boasted that his followers would stick by him even if he committed murder. But is that something to boast about? Is it not an insult to his followers, if it is true? Moreover, his cockiness is misplaced, because he still does not have a majority among Republican voters, while you need a majority of all the voters to win any state in the general election.
GOP Rivals Faith-Off in Iowa
There's been a lot of talk about [Thursday] night's GOP presidential debate and whether anyone actually won it. If you ask me, there was one clear winner: evangelicals. Sure, a lot in the field held their own — but it was the emphasis on God, faith, and values that carried the day. Of course, no one can be sure what impact Donald Trump's absence had, but we do know that the seventh contest of the 2016 race was a substantive one on key issues. Among them, life, religion, and family. Chris Wallace made sure of that, bringing up the hefty influence of evangelicals, which, as he reminded people, make up 60 percent of Republican caucus-goers. Pointing to the influence of the movement in the primaries, he opened an entire line of questioning to values issues.
Media Bias
There is a reason Fox News has been so successful. After decades of domination by left-wing networks, Fox burst onto the scene offering viewers something very different — fair and balanced coverage of the news and current events. Yet I must confess that, in spite of everything Fox News has done for the conservative movement, I was deeply disappointed by some of [Thursday] night's questioning. For example, let's examine the way the moderators approached two of the most important issues in this campaign: Terrorism and immigration.
Obama Says Everything's Rosy
Frankly, I was shocked to hear that even though the ratings for Obama's final State of the Union address were at a near-record low, there were apparently 31,699, 999 people other than myself who tuned in for his last hurrah. I know why I was there. It's because I take my responsibility to ridicule liberals seriously and I am always seeking grist for my busy little mill. But what were all those other people thinking? Is it possible that 10% of Americans are masochists?
Friday, January 29, 2016
It's the Negativity, Stupid
Watching all the negativity flying around the stage at the Democratic Town Hall Forum the other night, something struck me. Why, after watching Hillary and Bernie go after each other's left-liberal throats, would anyone ever want to vote for either one of them? They had nothing but rotten things to say about the other. Hillary's too cozy with Wall Street. Bernie's too soft on the NRA and naive about negotiating with Iran. Hillary's insufficiently progressive and takes obscene speaking fees from Goldman Sachs. Bernie's expensive progressive ideas will never make it in the real world.
The Three-Cornered Fight for the Soul of the GOP
It's hard to believe that the United States, having resisted the siren song of socialism during its entire 20th-century heyday (the only major democracy to do so), should suddenly succumb to its charms a generation after its intellectual demise. Indeed, the prospect of socialist Bernie Sanders, whatever his current momentum, winning the Democratic nomination remains far-fetched. The Dems would be risking a November electoral disaster of historic dimensions. Yet there is no denying how far Sanders has pulled his party to the left — and how hard the establishment candidate, Hillary Clinton, has been racing to catch up. The Republicans, on the other hand, are dealing with a full-scale riot. The temptation they face is trading in a century of conservatism for Trumpism.
Vote Cruz in Iowa as if the Republic Depends on It
I keep hearing from supporters of other GOP candidates that Ted Cruz can't win the general election because he is too conservative and too preachy. These same people criticize him for not being authentically conservative and also support others who are preachy. I have long lamented the conventional wisdom, swallowed whole by many nominally conservative Republicans, that a true-blue consistent conservative can't win a general presidential election because he can't attract moderates, centrists, independents, Perotistas, Trumpsters, disaffected Democrats and certainly not women or minorities.
Carter Complains
Secretary of Defense Ash Carter is not happy with the conduct of the war against ISIS, and he's letting everyone know it. Last week he met with European defense officials and urged them to step it up. In the days ahead, he will convene a special meeting of coalition leaders specifically "to set expectations" for each nation. Carter told CNBC recently that our coalition partners "can do more," adding that "many of them are not doing enough or doing nothing at all." I'm sure there is a lot of truth to that statement, but the same criticism has been leveled against the Obama administration. In August 2014 Obama said he didn't have a strategy to defeat ISIS. Nearly a year later, the strategy was still incomplete. Meanwhile the "JV team" continued to run up the score, conquering more and more territory, committing more and more atrocities.
Iowa Caucuses, a Subsidy for Iowa's Political Establishment
First, kill the Iowa caucuses. Please note: I didn't say, "Kill the Iowans." I like Iowans and I like Iowa. But we need to get Iowa's boot off our neck. That may be misunderstood, as well. You see, we're not under the heel of all Iowans. If we were, that'd actually be better because that would mean lots of Iowans turned out to vote.
What If Trump Wins?
There are many potential outcomes to a Donald Trump GOP nomination. And every one of them is a disaster for conservatives. Fact is, Trump fans will not be placated. Not if they lose, and definitely not if they win. Unless unforeseen events alter the dynamics of American politics, it's difficult to imagine conventional Republicans and Trump fans inhabiting the same space after this is all done. Me? I look forward to loathing three major political parties. Now, if Trump prevails in the primaries, principled small-government conservatives (however many are left) will be faced with a distasteful choice: They can either back the nominee, picked fairly by the rank-and-file of the party, or they can disregard party politics and actively try and sink him.
Taking a Term for the Worse
When people think of the European Union or Council of Europe, the word "conservative" doesn't usually come to mind. And yet, they certainly seem so next to President Obama's one-sided view of religious persecution. While the rest of the West decries the violence directed toward Christians in the Middle East, the White House still stubbornly refuses to call it what it is: faith-based genocide.
In His Own Words
"As far as single payer, it works in Canada, it works incredibly well in Scotland." "I would press for universal healthcare. ... I would put forward a comprehensive health care program and fund it with an increase in corporate taxes." "We must have universal healthcare." "I hate the concept of it, but on a humanitarian basis, you have to [take in Syrian refugees]" "I support the ban on assault weapons and I also support a slightly longer waiting period to purchase a gun." "I hate the concept of guns." "The Republicans walk the NRA line and refuse even limited restrictions." "I probably identify more as a Democrat."
Missing From Both Parties' Candidates' Campaigns: Work
From someone whose title is senior political analyst you might be expecting a forecast of who will win the Iowa caucuses next Monday night. Will Donald Trump voters turn out in enough numbers to give him the narrow win over Ted Cruz that polls indicate he has now? Will Hillary Clinton withstand the challenge and excitement generated by Bernie Sanders? But the answers to these questions are, in historical perspective, trivial. By Tuesday noon anyone interested will know the answers, and it will be time to forecast the results of the New Hampshire primary seven days later. So instead let's focus on a topic that candidates of either party haven't talked much about. How do they propose to get the current sluggish American economy to generate more jobs? And what will that mean for voters?
Do the Oscars Need Quotas?
For a conservative, perhaps nothing in popular culture is more amusing than watching leftist Hollywood beat itself up with the battle cry "Oscars So White." For a group of people that can't possibly assemble at awards shows without making egregious displays of what passes for "progressive thought," this fight over putative racism is as entertaining as the movies themselves. Grab some popcorn. Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith pompously announced they will not be attending the Oscars because no best-acting nominee is black. In a YouTube video, Jada declared, "Begging for acknowledgment, or even asking, diminishes dignity and diminishes power." One of the funnier memes on the Internet presents an aerial view of the sprawling $42 million Smith mansion in Malibu (with pool, tennis court and basketball court) to clash with the notion of racist Hollywood.
Thursday, January 28, 2016
Challenging Obama's State of the Climate
President Obama used borderline threatening words during his final State of the Union Address — language he directed towards those who are skeptical of his position on man-made climate change: "Look, if anybody still wants to dispute the science around climate change, have at it. You'll be pretty lonely, because you'll be debating our military, most of America's business leaders, the majority of the American people, almost the entire scientific community, and 200 nations around the world who agree it's a problem and intend to solve it."
Hey Trump, You Bring the Guts, We'll Bring the Questions
By now you know that Donald Trump has dropped out of the Fox News debate, turning his back on the voters of Iowa. Instead of answering our fair and balanced questions, he has chosen to viciously attack my colleague Megyn Kelly. She is a fine journalist, a wife and a mother. His repugnant words will not be repeated here. What kind of a conservative would say such things about a lady? What kind of a *man* would say such things? Surely such words do not reflect the "New York values" that Mr. Trump so cherishes.
Donald Trump, National Review, and the Battle for the Conservative Mind
The editors and writers of National Review recently did something extraordinary. They came out *en masse* against a Republican candidate during the primary. Their "Against Trump" symposium and accompanying "Editors introduction" offer up a barrage of attacks on Donald Trump's surprising presidential candidacy. For the symposium, National Review assembled an enormously diverse group of conservative thinkers, from "movement conservatives" to more "establishment" types, to "conservatarians." Clearly, this is no monolithic bloc. Yet there they are — an eclectic bunch of odd bedfellows making the same core argument: Donald Trump is not a conservative based on any meaningful definition of the term.
13 Hours: Warriors Aren't Trained to Retire
This last week I had the opportunity to view the newly released Hollywood movie, 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi. Having followed the tragic circumstances surrounding the loss of four Americans in Benghazi, Libya, on September 11, 2012, I was eager to view the movie. The film tells the true story of four Americans killed, including our ambassador, during an attack by Islamic jihadists at a U.S. compound in Libya, as a security team struggled to defend the lives of several dozen Americans.
Puerto Rico's Bankruptcy, Better Than a Bailout
Stop me if you've heard this one before: A government, run by a succession of politicians, spent frivolously for decades and repeatedly ignored all the warning signs of looming fiscal disaster, and now that it has arrived, is begging for a bailout. No, I'm not talking about Greece. This time, it's Puerto Rico. And the Republican-controlled Congress is seriously considering a bailout. Even Washington's out-of-touch cronies recognize that a simple cash bailout would be too politically toxic. But they've come up with an alternative that may have some appeal but also has very problematic features: bankruptcy.
Arraign Man: TX Jury Accuses Daleiden
Five months after the world's eyes were opened to the dark business of baby organ trafficking, a grand jury is finally holding someone accountable. Unfortunately, that someone isn't Planned Parenthood. It's David Daleiden, the man behind the undercover videos that exposed the nation's largest abortion provider. In a shocking turn of events, a grand jury in Harris County, Texas has indicted the Center for Medical Progress (CMP) chief as part of an investigation that started as a probe into Planned Parenthood's wrongdoing. Now, instead of throwing the book at Cecile Richard's group, Daleiden and one of his associates is being charged. According to the report, he's been implicated in two crimes: tampering with a government record (using a fake ID) and a misdemeanor for attempting to buy fetal tissue.