Right Opinion
The best of conservative opinion and commentary, updated daily.
Blacks and Politics
At one of last month's Congressional Black Caucus-sponsored "job fairs," Rep. Andre Carson, D-Ind., told the audience: "This is the effort that we're seeing of Jim Crow. Some of these folks in Congress right now would love to see us as second-class citizens. Some of them in Congress right now with this tea party movement would love to see you and me -- I'm sorry, Tamron -- hanging on a tree." Carson's reference to Tamron was acknowledgment of the presence of MSNBC's black reporter Tamron Hall, who didn't deem it fit to report the congressman's statement. Another black attacker of the tea party movement is Rep. Maxine Waters, who told her constituents: "This is a tough game. You can't be intimidated. You can't be frightened. And as far as I'm concerned, the tea party can go straight to hell." "Let us all remember who the real enemy is. And the real enemy is the tea party," reminded Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla. The Rev. Jesse Jackson said the tea party should be called the "Fort Sumter tea party that sought to maintain states' rights and slavery." Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Fla., in telling a job fair audience to register to vote, said, "Turn the tea party upside down!"
Civility? Never Mind
When a deranged gunman shot Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and 20 others in January, partisan Democrats leaped at the chance to blame Republican rhetoric for the crime. The New York Times columnist Paul Krugman was among the first warning, "You know that Republicans will yell about the evils of partisanship whenever anyone tries to make a connection between the rhetoric of Beck, Limbaugh, etc. and the violence I fear we're going to see in the months and years ahead. But violent acts are what happen when you create a climate of hate. And it's long past time for the GOP's leaders to take a stand against the hate-mongers."
Of Poets Good, Bad and in-Between
The United States of America has a new poet laureate. The United States of America being the United States of America, who cares? For democracy is the death of poetry and often enough of poets, who may be reduced to penury if they're any good. Though bad ones can thrive, or at least get a job with Hallmark.
From 9/11 to 2011: Al-Qaida's Battle of Blame
Osama bin Laden justified 9/11's great evil on the basis of fixing blame for the Islamic world's cultural and political decline. He was angry with the last seven centuries of history -- history gone wrong for Arab Muslims in particular. Modernity was at fault, so he despised it. Modernity is a fuzzy notion, but it is definitely an earthly condition that rewards creativity unchecked by clerics and ayatollahs. America is this unbridled modernity's boldest experiment, this modernity al-Qaida approved Islam does not dominate. So in the name of blame he murdered 3,000 people in New York and Washington.
Politics Turns Dangerously Rougher
In the last few weeks, leading Democrats in Congress have called Tea Party constituents terrorists, said they should go to hell and accused them of wanting to lynch black people. Last weekend, at an event attended by President Obama, the head of the Teamsters Union, Jimmy Hoffa Jr., attacked the Tea Party, screaming, "President Obama, this is your army. We are ready to march. Let's take these son of bitches (Tea Party members) out and give America back to an America where we belong." (Note: the president was not on the platform when Hoffa spoke.) So far, neither the president, nor any prominent Democrat has condemned such remarks -- even though the phrase "take out" is commonly used to describe an act of criminal homicide. Thus, Hoffa's statement might rise to the level of incitement to violence.
Ten Years After
After 9/11, the U.S. Congress created the Department of Homeland Security and the Transportation Security Administration. America went to war, overtly and covertly, in several countries. Nearly $8 trillion was spent on what is called "security," Chris Hellman of the National Priorities Project estimates. Was it worth it? Yes, in many ways, says author Ann Coulter. No, says Reason magazine editor Matt Welch.
Kipping Violent Talk on the Left
After the mass shooting in Tucson, Ariz. of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, a federal judge and other bystanders, President Obama gave one of those unite-the-divide speeches that give journalists leg thrills. We need to "sharpen our instincts for empathy," he said. He lamented political finger-pointing: "It's important for us to pause for a moment and make sure that we are talking with each other in a way that heals, not a way that wounds." The initial speculation was that conservatives were responsible for the Tucson horror. Even after this proved to be false, the attacks were relentless, with a barrage of media reports on the alleged excesses and mean-spiritedness of the Tea Party and all things right of center.
A Plan That Works
This will be a stretch for some, but stay with me. Suppose someone presented a plan that is guaranteed to achieve the objectives everyone (or almost everyone serious about such matters) agrees are necessary to create jobs, end our financial dependence on China, reform the tax code and repair Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid so they not only continue to support people now, but ensure the health and welfare of future generations. Would the politicians accept this gift from the political gods? Or would they prefer the dysfunction that characterizes virtually everything they do and prevents solutions, guaranteeing instead the continuation of the issue for partisan political gain?
What if Congressional Black Caucus Were Accused of Wanting Jews Gassed?
Imagine a Jewish Congress member accusing the members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) of wanting to see Jews gassed. How would any decent American -- on the right or left -- describe such a statement? Loathsome? Morally reprehensible? An obvious lie? All three descriptions would be entirely accurate. ... So here's a real question: If a black congressman charged that members of Congress who support the tea party "would love to see you and me (blacks) hanging from a tree," what's the difference between that libel and the made-up libel about the CBC wanting to see Jews gassed? The answer, of course, is that there is no difference.
Two Different Worlds
Ideological clashes over particular laws, policies and programs often go far deeper. Those with opposing views of what is desirable for the future also tend to differ equally sharply as to what the reality of the present is. In other words, they envision two very different worlds. A small but revealing example was a recent New York Times criticism of former Apple CEO Steve Jobs for not contributing to charity as much as the New York Times writer thought he should. The media in general are full of praise for business people and their companies for giving away substantial amounts of their wealth. Indeed, that is one of the few things for which many in the media praise businesses and the wealthy.
Growing Proof of Obama's Imperial Presidency
President Barack Obama's National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is on a job-killing rampage. It's claiming unprecedented powers far beyond what federal law allows. Taken with Obama's other agencies, these executive actions paint a picture of what has become an imperial presidency. A federal appeal is certain once NLRB's shocking attack on Boeing Co. goes through the administrative process. In a free-market society, government bureaucrats cannot dictate to a private company where they can and cannot open factories or create jobs. Boeing -- whose general counsel was formerly one of the most brilliant federal judges in America, Michael Luttig -- should win this court battle.
Obama Speech Fiasco Shows 'Audacity of Weakness'
I can't remember a more stunning rebuke of a president by a congressional leader than House Speaker John Boehner's refusal to agree to President Barack Obama's demand -- er, request -- that he summon a joint session of Congress to hear the president's latest speech on the economy at 8 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, Sept. 7. Obama's request was regarded as a clever move by some wiseguys in the left blogosphere because that was the exact time of a long-scheduled Republican presidential candidate debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. Take that, you guys!
Keep the Faith
It wasn't supposed to be like this. Once this infant republic styled the United States of America adopted a new constitution, all would be well. With a single, energetic executive to lead the way, our borders would be secure, our trade protected, our flag respected. A president and commander-in-chief would give the country what it desperately needed: energy in the executive. Alexander Hamilton explained it in Federalist Paper No. 70 ("The energy of the executive is the bulwark of the national security..."), and so long as the president was George Washington, his thesis would prove perfectly sound, even prophetic. The young republic had finally got a strong hand on the tiller in its first president.
Wasted Air on the Ponzi Analogy
Charles Ponzi was a Boston swindler who, in 1920, bilked thousands of people out of millions of dollars by selling them bonds that guaranteed a fabulous rate of return -- 100 percent in just 90 days. The funds entrusted to Ponzi were never invested in legitimate enterprises. Instead, they were deployed in a classic pyramid scam: The first few investors were paid off with money collected from a larger, second round of investors, whose bonds were in turn paid off with money from a still larger group of investors who came after them. Like all pyramid swindles, which depend on a steadily expanding population of new investors, Ponzi's scheme was unsustainable. It collapsed within months. Ponzi went to prison, and his victims lost most of their principal. So is Social Security another Ponzi scheme?
One God or Many
Sometimes you can focus so hard on a single tree, you lose sight of the forest. For instance, every sane person, which automatically excludes leftists, realizes that we can easily un-elect Barack Obama next year. But we should not lose sight of the fact that we will simultaneously be sending Hillary Clinton, Cass Sunstein, Timothy Geithner, Janet Napolitano, Eric Holder, Jeffrey Immelt, Jay Carney, Valerie Jarrett and Joe Biden, back where they came from. That should certainly provide all Republicans, no matter which candidate they happen to support at the moment, with plenty of incentive to vote for our ultimate nominee early and often.
Question Time
WASHINGTON -- Wednesday's Republican "debate" in California will not resemble the 1858 Lincoln-Douglas debates, in which one candidate spoke for 60 minutes, the other responded for 90 minutes, and his opponent had 30 minutes for rebuttal. Still, today's debates ("What is the meaning of life? You have 30 seconds"; "One word answer, please: Keynes or Hayek?") can illuminate. So, some questions.
Solyndra Debacle Spotlights Obama's Folly
Last year, President Barack Obama came to the Bay Area to tout "green jobs" at an event at solar panel manufacturer Solyndra's Fremont plant. Quoth the president: "The true engine of economic growth will always be companies like Solyndra." On Wednesday, Solyndra announced it was shuttering its remaining Fremont factory, laying off 1,100 workers and filing for bankruptcy. It was a sorry day for the Bay Area.
From The Comedy Store
The Pentagon confirmed last week it killed al-Qaeda's new leader in a drone missile attack in western Pakistan. In the last three years, three leaders and their replacement leaders have been killed by the U.S. military. Who says President Obama isn't creating jobs?
Slavery and Related Sins
When I was young, I was brought up to regard Europe's colonial powers as evil incarnate. We were taught that England, France, Holland, Germany and Spain, brutalized the people of Africa and Haiti, all for the sake of diamonds and other precious commodities. Time passed, as it will, and the European oppressors were banished. The nations became self-governing and, in many cases, went so far as to change their names in an effort to put the past behind them. Predictably, just about everything got worse. Nearly without exception, the black leaders who filled the power vacuum were far more savage than the colonial governors had been.
A Reagan Moment
No sooner had President Barack Obama shocked the political world with a gloomy economic forecast -- projecting 9.1 percent unemployment for this year and a re-election-killing 9 percent for 2012 -- than the dismal August jobs report arrived showing no gain in non-farm payrolls. That's right, no gain at all. Private jobs increased a scant 17,000, while hours worked and wages actually declined. Obama's economic policies have failed. Are we on the front end of yet another recession? This report alone suggests that we could be, although other data points disagree. But on the eve of President Obama's so-called jobs speech, there's a much bigger question here: Has the U.S. entered into long-term economic decline?