Right Opinion
The best of conservative opinion and commentary, updated daily.
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Immigration Reform Should Focus on Attracting High-Skill Workers
When American politicians get around to reforming their immigration laws, they tend to look backwards. They seek to address immigration problems in the past rather than look ahead and set policy that will strengthen the nation in the future. That's true, in my opinion, of the bipartisan majority that supported the immigration bill passed by the Senate last spring and of its most vocal critics. And it's certainly been true of immigration legislation in the past.
Encouraging More Oswalds
The 50th anniversary of John F. Kennedy's murder is being marked, not primarily by retrospectives on his life and accomplishments, and not by reflections on the myth versus the reality of his presidency, but instead by one of the features of our media age that is poisonous to our cultural health -- a macabre focus on the details of his murder. National Geographic aired a film with the title "Killing Kennedy" (based on a book by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard). Trailers featured images of the first couple in the open limousine and close ups of the actor who played Lee Harvey Oswald raising a rifle to his face and closing one eye. The movie "Parkland" likewise features a re-enactment of the fatal day Kennedy was shot, complete with descriptions of the president's "shattered head" when he reached the hospital.
Monday, November 11, 2013
Why Republicans Are at Fault for Botched O'Care Rollout
And if you give me a minute, I'll come up with a reason.
Why Cuccinelli Was Defeated
Politics is in the eye of the beholder. Post-mortems now gushing forth about why Ken Cuccinelli, conservative Republican candidate for governor in Virginia, lost to Democrat Terry McAuliffe, a business-as-usual political retread from the Clinton crowd, tell us more about who produces this punditry than what reality actually might be.
'If I Like Your Health Care Plan...'
Years ago, I wrote a TV movie. It was that semi-mythical thing known as a docudrama. That means the basic premise was factual, but names were changed and, more importantly, characters and dialogue were invented so that you would sit there through the last commercial. As it happens, the movie was never produced, mainly because one set of NBC executives were fired and, typically, an inferior group was brought in to replace them.
Does the First Amendment Stop at 35 Feet?
Early next year, the Supreme Court will take up **McCullen v. Coakley**, a case challenging the Massachusetts statute that requires anti-abortion protesters and "sidewalk counselors" to stay at least 35 feet away from abortion-clinic entrances. Signed by Governor Deval Patrick in 2007, it is the strictest such "buffer zone" law in the nation; violators can be punished with up to 30 months in prison and fines as high as $5,000.
Just Leave Me Alone
It's not going well for fans of ObamaCare. For example, when former Obama campaign manager David Axelrod blames the *insurance companies* for not warning people they would lose their coverage, a video compilation of Obama repeatedly telling people they could keep it reveals what a pathetic toady Axelrod really is. And that compilation only covers the years 2008-2010. During the 2012 presidential debate, Obama was at it again, followed by another encore as late as Sept. 25, 2013. And finally for David and all of his equally duplicitous progressive pals, here's what was posted *yesterday* on the Whitehouse.gov website: "If you like your plan you can keep it and you don't have to change a thing due to the health care law."
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Impeaching Himself, Period
The side-by-side comparisons of President Obama's statements then and now are devastating. Especially the "period." Period here is no punctuation mark. It's a way of underscoring the word of the President of the United States. For him to have made such unqualified assurances to the American people -- not once but dozens of times -- and for us to learn that he always knew that promise could not be kept -- will haunt his presidency. He has impeached himself.
A Woman May Die Because of O'Care
If you are inclined to believe Barack Obama's claim that people losing their insurance are giving up skimpy coverage for much better benefits, read the editorial in Monday's Wall Street Journal. Then read it again, and again, and again. Edie Sunby has a rare form of cancer that is almost always fatal. Yet she is alive, thanks to the efforts of doctors in San Diego, at Stanford University and in Texas. Over the past year, UnitedHealthcare has spent $1.2 million on her medical expenses. But she has just been informed that her insurance is being cancelled.
The Enigma of Janet Yellen
She who is about to become the most consequential woman in the history of American government will find it easier to be confirmed than it was to be nominated as the next chair of the Federal Reserve Board. Janet Yellen probably was the president's second choice, but Senate Democrats demonstrated their intention and ability to reject Larry Summers. Yellen, whose confirmation hearings are expected to begin Thursday, is suited to be the most important nomination of Barack Obama's second term (unless there is another Supreme Court vacancy). She is experienced and accomplished, and she represents a broad swath of academic thinking about the power of monetary policy and the Fed's proper role in wielding that power.
Saturday, November 9, 2013
Attack Obamacare, but Talk Growth, Too
That's the GOP one-two punch for the midterm elections. There's no question that the catastrophic debut of Obamacare -- including the website breakdown and the millions of pink-slip cancellations -- will be a great card for Republicans to play on the way to the 2014 midterm elections. No question.
Recipes for Success and Disaster
If I knew who sent me the best suggestion I have come across in a long time, I would credit him. Instead, I will simply share his brilliant notion that we put our senior citizens in jail and stick all the criminals in nursing homes. As he pointed out, seniors would have access to showers and hobbies. They would receive unlimited free prescriptions, dental and medical treatment, and access to state-of-the-art wheel chairs. They would have constant video monitoring, so they would receive help immediately if they fell or needed assistance.
From The Comedy Store
President Obama congratulated the Boston Red Sox after they won the World Series. He said if they like their current World Series trophy they get to keep their current World Series trophy. Suddenly it looks like the Cardinals still are in this thing.
Friday, November 8, 2013
Trust Us: This Will Be Good for You
The government thinks you're stupid, or at least ignorant. This isn't just an indictment of the current government or an indictment of government itself. It's simply a statement of fact. At its core, the government exists to do certain things that people aren't equipped to do on their own. The list of those things has gotten longer and longer over the years. In 1776, the federal government's portfolio could have easily fit in a file folder: maintain an army and navy, a few federal courts, the post office, the patent office and maybe a dozen or two other pretty obvious things.
Kerry Throws Freedom-Seeking Women Under the Bus
It's confirmed: The "F" in John. F. Kerry stands for "Feckless." Women around the world no longer need to wonder whether America's secretary of state will stand boldly with them in defense of their basic rights. He won't. On Monday, Kerry was in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Anyone with a phone or an Internet connection inside and outside the country knows what's been going on there. The kingdom has been rocked by women of all ages protesting the Muslim nation's retrograde ban on female drivers. Over the past two weeks, the protesters and their supporters have taken to social media to pressure the oppressive sharia-enforcing regime. It is the only country in the world that won't allow its women -- 20 million of them -- to obtain driver's licenses.
Primer From a Conservative Winner
The most alarming message for Democrats from Tuesday's elections was the near obliteration of Terry McAuliffe's lead over Ken Cuccinelli in Virginia. An October poll, conducted a week after the government reopened, had placed him 11 points ahead. On Election Day, Cuccinelli lost by only 2.5 points. McAuliffe's precipitous tumble was caused entirely by Obamacare. There was bad news for Republicans, as well. The government shutdown damaged Cuccinelli, possibly costing him the race. But there were other factors; the money gap (he was outspent 3 to 1), outgoing Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell's ethics troubles and Cuccinelli's dour mien all made it possible for a gasbag Democratic moneyman who admitted that he didn't read legislation and would hire someone to handle such trivia to take Thomas Jefferson's seat in Richmond.
Lesson's Learned From Tuesday's Election
Both Democratic and Republican strategists are dissecting Tuesday's election results for clues to what might happen in next year's congressional elections. State races in off years are not always good predictors of how a party will do nationally during congressional or presidential elections, but there are some important lessons to be learned.
Why Christie's Persona Will Play Well in the Rest of America
Forget the acceptance speech. If you want an example of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's imposing political IQ, watch the nine-minute impromptu speech he delivered in Sea Bright a few days before the election. The impeccable populist instincts that make Christie such a formidable politician were all in play -- authenticity, empathy, combativeness.
Rhetoric vs. Reality
The Obamacare website doesn't work. Hundreds of thousands of insured Americans are seeing their plans summarily terminated. Millions more face the same prospect next year. Confronted with a crisis of governance, how does President Obama respond? He campaigns.