Right Opinion
The best of conservative opinion and commentary, updated daily.
Friday, April 17, 2015
Obama: Cuban Information Minister?
Two relatively recent photos of Barack Obama with foreign leaders reveal much about his deep-dyed leftism. The first features President Obama and democratically elected Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, leader of one of America's most loyal friends. Obama looks strained. His face is stiff, and his eyes are veiled. The second is a snap of Obama at the recent Summit of the Americas in Panama. He's seated with "President" Raul Castro, leader of a bitter enemy, who has never received a single free vote. Obama is grinning, his eyes dancing with pleasure. In contrast to the bitterness with which Obama addresses Netanyahu, he is all honey with Castro. "So I want to thank President Castro for the spirit of openness and courtesy that he has shown during our interactions. ... President Castro earlier today spoke about the significant hardships that the people of Cuba have undergone over many decades. I can say with all sincerity that the essence of my policy is to ... make sure that the people of Cuba are able to prosper and live in freedom and security. ... "
Avoiding the Pitfalls of 2012
Republicans lost the 2012 presidential election during their primaries. By the time Mitt Romney secured his party's nomination, the seeds of his defeat had already germinated. The challenge for Republicans in 2016 will be to keep that from happening again. And no issue is more fraught with dangers for Republicans than immigration. Of the three announced Republican candidates — Sens. Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz and Rand Paul — Rubio is probably in the best position to avoid the mistakes of the past. Paul's problem is that he has been all over the board on immigration. Although he has recently said he favors legislation that would give work permits to many of the 11 million immigrants now in the U.S. illegally, Paul wants to revoke birthright citizenship. But the nation has, from its founding, embraced birthright citizenship, albeit denying it to the descendants of slaves until passage of the 14th Amendment. A constitutional amendment revoking birthright citizenship has no chance of adoption, and those who argue that simple legislation would suffice ignore the plain language of the 14th Amendment, the legislative history and debate at the time of adoption, and Supreme Court precedents.
A Way Out for Christian Wedding Businesses?
Radical activists in the gay community have put pedal to the metal to force gay acceptance from Christians — making not only their position but also their tactics anti-Christian. They are deliberately targeting the Christian wedding industry — the cakemakers, the caterers, the quaint bed-and-breakfast owners, and the like. They are headhunting Christians who refuse their business on moral grounds by slapping them with lawsuits or "human rights" complaints. Fascists would appreciate these tactics. Everyone witnessed the national shaming and death threats that came to Memories Pizza in Walkerton, Indiana, because the owners declined to cater a gay "wedding" — while stating effusively that they never had, nor would they ever consider turning away gay customers. It needs to be underscored that the owners never even received a catering request. They were simply asked their opinions and that's all the Thought Police needed. There are other less publicized examples of real trouble.
A Resign of the Times...
Angie's can take one thing off its list — CEO Bill Oesterle. After a rough few weeks at the center of the Indiana RFRA debate, the Angie's List boss surprised everyone by stepping down. The decision, which comes less than a month after conservatives launched a nationwide boycott against his company, caught the local business community off guard — especially since Oesterle had been at the helm since he co-founded the subscription service in 1995. Of course, his rockiest time at the wheel was this spring, when the one-time GOP advisor gambled his company's reputation on the Left's view of religious liberty — namely, that Christians shouldn't have any. Oesterle jumped on the Left's misinformation bandwagon, using his company as leverage in the fight against religious liberty. At one point, he threatened to pull a multi-million dollar office building from Indianapolis over the measure — which, reporters later discovered, was on hold for other reasons. Turns out, the city was already worried that Angie's List's track record (specifically that it has never posted an annual profit) was a bad investment. When Indianapolis didn't bite on the idea — which would have cost it millions of dollars in subsidies — Angie's List had no choice to put the plans on the backburner.
Hillary for America? Why?
Hillary's all in for 2016. Whoopee. She officially arrived Sunday — but not in the flesh. She announced her decision with a low-key tweet and a two-minute video featuring a diverse lineup of adorable Democrat voters, a sappy message about being "a champion of everyday Americans" and very little face-time for herself. Then, to prove she's still a grassroots Chicago girl at heart, the multimillionaire from Chappaqua sneaked out of New York at 70 mph on one of the phoniest "road trips" of all time.
Why Marco Rubio Is Probably the GOP's Best Hope
Sen. Marco Rubio announced his candidacy for president of the United States at the Freedom Tower in Miami on Monday, highlighting his family's hardscrabble immigrant roots and embracing traditional values but also vowing to usher in a "new American century." As a matter of political pragmatism, is there any convincing reason Rubio shouldn't be the Republican to take on Hillary Clinton in 2016? Because when it comes to natural political talent, it's unlikely the GOP could do better. For starters, Rubio is the most compelling speaker in the Republican field. Sen. Mike Lee says Rubio "can bring grown men to tears." This is something voters value, apparently. Not only does Rubio sound as if he believes that American exceptionalism is genuine but also his populist sensibilities allow him to credibly broach the subject of inequality — mostly because he has a captivating family story to lean on.
Thursday, April 16, 2015
Deep in the Heart of Taxes...
If this President gets his way, the meek won't inherit the earth — the U.S. government will! That's because our current tax code never says die, even when the person it's taxing does. Thanks to the "death tax," Americans have been mourning the loss, not just of their loved ones, but of the assets they spent their whole life building. To cushion the blow, the new Republican majority is doing its best to give America some relief by introducing the "Death Tax Repeal Act of 2015." Sponsored by Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas) and Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-Ga.) in the House (Sen. John Thune, R-S.D. has the companion bill), Congress would permanently roll back the estate tax that's hurting so many middle class families and businesses.
The Challenge: Spiritual Slavery
This Thursday is Emancipation Day. It's the 153rd anniversary of the day President Abraham Lincoln signed the Compensated Emancipation Act, which freed the thousands of slaves who lived in Washington, D.C. That day in the midst of the Civil War marked the beginning of a great and dramatic change in our nation, which began with the capital — the heart of our nation — and slowly worked its way throughout the rest of the country. After President Lincoln signed the Act into law, an author of an editorial in a New York newspaper, The Anglo-African, joyfully wrote, "Henceforth, whatever betide the national, its physical heart is freed from the presence of slavery." He, like so many others, knew that freedom in the capital meant change in the rest of the nation could not be far off. Eight months later, President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, promising freedom to the slaves held in the rebel states, which would be a lasting freedom if the Union emerged victorious at the end of the war.
Chicago: Economic Death Spiral After 84 Years of Democratic Control
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, after winning reelection, pronounced Chicago "the greatest city in America." Run by Democrats for more than eight decades, Chicago should serve as a showplace that reflects the wonderful world of "progressive policies." Public schools are a mess, and the city's finances place their bonds at near junk level. In 2013, the city averaged 36 homicides a month, with the majority of them unsolved. CNN aired a series on Chicago called "Chicagoland," starring the city's dynamic mayor. Presumably, Emanuel thought it would show off the mayor as he tackled the city's problems. Why, if the man his own mom calls "Rahmbo" can lead Chicago as a prosperous, well-run city, imagine the job he'd do as president of the United States. But the idea backfired — and not because Emanuel isn't dynamic or hard-working.
The Romance of Poverty
On Tuesday, CNN ran what should have been a puff piece in its travel section about the wonders of visiting Cuba. The title of the piece spelled out the angle: "Why you should travel to Cuba before it looks like everywhere else." The authors, James Williams and Daisy Carrington, write, "Cuba is not like other places, or rather, not like anywhere that exists today. To some outsiders, it looks firmly stuck in the 1950s. Vintage cars roam the streets, the landscape is absent of strip malls and global chains, and the buildings — though crumbling — hark back to a grander time." The authors conclude, "It is these throwbacks that lend Havana, the country's capital, an undeniable charm. A charm that, some worry, is in peril once the U.S. embargo lifts." Who are these unnamed sources who worry deeply about the charm of poverty degrading into the soulless maw of capitalist enterprise? The left speaks of poverty with the same fervent attachment with which a lover speaks of his partner's quirks. Poverty is charming. Poverty ennobles. Poverty is Mimi from "La Boheme," Fantine from "Les Miserables," Che Guevara (the icon, not the mass murderer) and Gandhi (the icon, not the shamanistic wife beater). Poverty is artists struggling for their bread while crafting masterpieces.
'Little Boy': A Classic Modern Film
There are classic films, like the ones on TCM and AMC, and there are modern films. There are few modern classics. "Little Boy," in theaters April 24, could be a modern classic. The film is set in a Southern California town during World War II. A couple's oldest son, London Busbee (David Henrie), is drafted, but is barred from service because of his flat feet. The father, James Busbee (Michael Rapaport), goes instead and his youngest son, Pepper Flynt Busbee, 8, beautifully played by Jakob Salvati, is devastated. Pepper and his father have a very close relationship (they call each other "partner") and almost from the moment his father leaves for war, the child is plotting ways to get him safely home. After being enthralled by a magician named Ben Eagle (Ben Chaplin), Pepper tries magic with some hilarious results.
Helping Barack Remember History
Does anyone remember what it was that turned America hostile toward the tropical paradise of Cuba? Our president tells us "we're caught in a time warp, going back to the 1950s and gunboat diplomacy, and 'Yanquis' and the Cold War." Yes, really, "gunboat diplomacy." That is how University of Chicago adjunct law professors talk about American foreign policy. And he adds, "Sometimes those controversies date back to before I was born." So, what got America so riled up over the Castro brothers and Cuban communists even before Barack Obama was born? As I recall, it was a bipartisan hostility. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, a Republican if memory serves, began it. His successor, John F. Kennedy, a Democrat, continued it, and he and his brother Bob actually dragged the nation through the Cuban missile crisis. Then Lyndon Johnson, a Democrat, and Richard Nixon, a Republican, and literally every president thereafter continued to harass and afflict the Castros until President Obama had the brilliant idea of simply using his executive powers to relax various commercial and travel restrictions against Cuba. Yet why did America's hostility toward Cuba start in in the first place?
Ethnic Constructs Are Pointless in Our Multiracial Society
Not long ago, the New York Times uncovered the artifact that Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush had once listed himself as "Hispanic" on a Florida voter registration form. Bush is married to a Mexican-American. He lived for a number of years in South America and speaks Spanish fluently. Maybe he has consciously assumed a Hispanic identity. Or perhaps he did not think there was much of a difference between "white" and "Hispanic." Or, as he said, he simply checked the wrong box by accident. Vijay Chokal-Ingam, whose family immigrated from India, and who is the brother of sitcom actress Mindy Kaling, recently confessed that he, too, once changed his ethnic identity in frustration over not being admitted to medical school. The dark-skinned Chokal-Ingam shaved his head, used his middle name Jojo, and was admitted to Saint Louis Medical School as a minority African-American. Was he or was he not "black"?
We Need an Ankle Bracelet for the New York Times
Usually liberals have the decency to wait a few months after one of their rape fantasies collapses to start citing the case as "unresolved" — *it was a tie, the game was rained out, we'll never know what happened.* But with the apocryphal University of Virginia gang rape, lefties started in right away with the "I guess we'll never know what happened" rewrite. Just last week, the Columbia Journalism Review released the results of a months-long investigation into Rolling Stone's story about a violent fraternity gang rape at UVA. As you will recall, the CJR found that the magazine had based its entire story on the delusions of one girl, who freaked out every time the alleged reporter, Sabrina Rubin Erdely, tried to confirm a single fact.
Sustainability Gone Wild
Syracuse University alumni are new additions to the lengthening list of persons who can stop contributing to their alma maters. The university has succumbed — after, one suspects, not much agonizing — to the temptation to indulge in progressive gestures. It will divest all fossil fuel stocks from its endowment. It thereby trumps Stanford, whose halfhearted exercise in right-mindedness has been to divest only coal stocks. Evidently carbon from coal is more morally disquieting than carbon from petroleum. The effect of these decisions on consumption of fossil fuels will be nil; the effect on the growth of institutions' endowments will be negative. The effect on alumni giving should be substantial, because divesting institutions are proclaiming that the goal of expanding educational resources is less important than the striking of righteous poses — if there can be anything righteous about flamboyant futility.
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
Rubio Dives Into GOP Pool
The presidential election is still 19 months away, but the GOP field is as crowded as a D.C. sidewalk during cherry blossom time. And fortunately for conservatives, there aren't many duds among them. Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) proved that [Monday] with a solid rollout of his 2016 campaign. Drawing from his strengths as a young (the youngest, so far), principled alternative to the current President, the bilingual Cuban-American proved that he's just as fluent in social issues as he is in foreign policy. While some Republicans run for cover, Senator Rubio stood and spoke unapologetically about his values. Standing in Miami's Freedom Tower, Marco was a stark contrast to the opponent he called "a leader from yesterday," Hillary Clinton, who spent a good portion of her candidacy ad cheering the deconstruction of the natural family.
Gwyneth Paltrow's Poverty Voyeurism
Gwynnie P is down with the struggle, comrades. She may make $19 million a year, own mansions in London, New York, Brentwood, Malibu and the Hamptons, charge $550 for her Goop.com "travel backgammon set," and fly by private jet, but she feels your pain. OK, it's not as painful as her last $5,200 Thermage session in Santa Monica, but still, she really, really does feel the agony of the ordinary. Last week, the progressive princess celebrity joined the "SNAP challenge." It's basically the ice bucket challenge for bored Hollywood liberals and media-hungry Democratic politicians. For seven days (or at least for an hour or two after they publish their announcements to Twitter and Facebook), the bleeding hearts play "poor" by subsisting on a faux welfare budget.
Income Inequality: Married Couples With Kids Make Average of $107,054
If American politicians wanted to drive down the income of the American people and make this a poorer nation -- and they actually studied the government's own data about who does well financially in the United States -- they would seek to advance policies that discourage traditional family life and childrearing. Married couples with children under 18 years of age, according to the Census Bureau's Current Population Survey (Table HINC-04), made an average household income of $107,054 in 2013 and a median household income of $85,087. "A married couple, as defined for census purposes, is a husband and wife enumerated as members of the same household," says the Census Bureau in its list of definitions used in the Current Population Survey.
Hillary's Campaign: Already Media-Assisted
It is fair to say that Hillary Clinton is as liberal as Ted Cruz is conservative. This will explain why our so-called "objective" media are already treating Hillary as the Third Coming (Obama was No. 2) while Cruz merits hide-your-children alarms. Just the adjectives give it away. Hillary's Twitter launch on April 12 was received with words like "sleek," "savvy," "trending," "electrifying," and "approachable" She was packaged by the press exactly as she wanted it: a humble "champion of everyday Americans." Compare that to the Ted Cruz launch on March 23. These words framed the introduction: "scary," "dangerous," "slimy," "firebrand," "rigid," "uncompromising," "hardline," "extremist," "flamethrower."