Things You Hear on NPR: Benghazi Investigations Found ‘no wrongdoing by the Obama administration’
July 27, 2020
NPR a few days ago, regarding the possibility of a Susan Rice pick for the Joe Biden ticket:
Frederick Douglass’s lengthy 1852 speech “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?” is blistering in its critique of American immorality and hypocrisy on the issue of slavery:
Fellow-citizens, pardon me, allow me to ask, why am I called upon to speak here to-day? What have I, or those I represent, to do with your national independence? Are the great principles of political freedom and of natural justice, embodied in that Declaration of Independence, extended to us? . . .
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, as it’s officially known, has broad support across the political spectrum. The majority of Democrats and Republicans tell pollsters that they support protections for immigrants who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children — called DREAMers.
A fascinating alternative perspective from the left, from an Alison Willmore, at Buzz Feed:
Why I’ve Had Trouble Buying Hollywood’s Version of Girl Power
I get the desire to take comfort in cheerful stories of women’s triumph, from Ocean’s 8 to On the Basis of Sex. But in 2018, I haven’t found them very comforting.
When President Obama and the founding editor of National Review Online agree on something, it might be true.
. . . Obama is right . . . . Slavery and Jim Crow were indisputably manifestations of identity politics. America’s system of legalized racism was just another form of aristocracy under a different name. And as such, it was a violation of the best ideas of the Founding. Perhaps the single most radical thing about the American Revolution was the decision to reject all forms of hereditary nobility.
It took longer — far too much longer — to recognize the rights and dignity of all Americans, but the idea that you should take people as you find them, and judge them not as a member of a group but as individuals, remains perhaps the greatest part of the American creed, regardless of whether you’re a liberal or a conservative.
Out: ‘I want to know the truth.’ In: ‘I stand with…’
September 28, 2018
(Party in power nominates Mr. B.)
Opposition-party senators: I will oppose this nomination with everything I’ve got.
Forced Redistribution Majority of Federal Spending, Deficit
August 14, 2018
As you listen to commentators talking about “excessive” military spending and the federal budget deficit, this is your friendly periodic reminder that all U. S. military spending amounts to only 16% of federal spending, while forced redistribution represents 59% of federal spending. In dollar terms, forced redistribution is now the majority of what the federal government does; the federal government is literally a huge forced-redistribution operation with a smaller national-defense side project.
Don’t take my word for it; these numbers are according to the CBPP, which even the left agrees is of the left.
Taylor vs. DeWine: candidate comparison, by the issues (2018 Republican primary for Ohio governor)
May 4, 2018
Most of what follows is a series of guest posts on the governor’s race, written by fellow Ohioans. I have not taken the time to duplicate the research and add links to all sources, but I trust the source. If you have any doubts, I encourage you to do your own research and make up your own mind.
Anyone tired of the negative ads in the governor’s race? Maybe even confused by them? Indeed, it is not possible for them all to be true.
I thought it might be helpful for you to know how I’ve sorted through this with the help of the campaign staff, what I’ve learned, and why I am voting for and supporting Mary Taylor & Nathan Estruth for Governor and Lt. Governor. And thanks for taking the time to read this!
Taylor vs. DeWine, by the issues: taxes
May 4, 2018
This entry is part of a series of guest posts on the governor’s race. For the rest of the series, go to:
Taylor vs. DeWine: candidate comparison, by the issues (2018 Republican primary for Ohio governor)
On fiscal policies, Taylor and Estruth are true limited government fiscal conservatives. When a member of the Ohio House, Mary voted against a Taft tax increase incurring the rage of House leadership that subsequently kicked her off the Finance Committee. Ohio’s population has been in decline for over 15 years with neighboring states more often being the choice for businesses seeking growth opportunities. Taylor/Estruth are committed to reversing this competitive disadvantage.
Taylor vs. DeWine, by the issues: education
May 4, 2018
This entry is part of a series of guest posts on the governor’s race. For the rest of the series, go to:
Taylor vs. DeWine: candidate comparison, by the issues (2018 Republican primary for Ohio governor)
On Education, the Taylor/Estruth ticket is the only ticket that has committed to end Common Core, returning control to local school districts and parents. Their plan would establish basic graduation requirements of a minimum GPA, minimum ACT if college-bound, and/or a professional/vocational certification. They are also the only ticket that has pledged to veto HB 512, Governor Kasich’s current bill that consolidates additional power in the governor’s office. Please remember that Mike DeWine’s running mate Jon Husted, as Speaker of the OH House, brought Common Core to Ohio by embracing “Race to the Top”. Fundamentally, we need champions to stand with parents against the over-reach of government, and it is clear that Mary and Nathan are the clear choice to do this.
This entry is part of a series of guest posts on the governor’s race. For the rest of the series, go to:
Taylor vs. DeWine: candidate comparison, by the issues (2018 Republican primary for Ohio governor)
On Marriage and Family, only Mary Taylor and Nathan Estruth have promised to veto HB 160, the sexual orientation/gender identity bill that puts parents and pastors and Christian ministries at risk to the homosexual agenda and lawsuits. Only Mary and Nathan have always stood for one man, one woman marriage, and only Mary and Nathan have publicly voiced their opposition to the taking of minors from parents, something recently done by a judge in Cincinnati. Mike DeWine publicly opposed the Ohio Marriage Amendment and has stated he will continue Governor Kasich’s executive order to declare protected class status based on sexual orientation — which Mary Taylor has said she will end on Day 1. Further, as Attorney General, Mike DeWine refused to stand with Christian business owners who are being persecuted for their belief in Christian marriage. DeWine refused to sign on to support the baker in the Masterpiece case at the U.S. Supreme Court and to defend the florist in the Arlene’s Flowers case in appealing to the Supreme Court, something that dozens of other state Attorney Generals did.
This entry is part of a series of guest posts on the governor’s race. For the rest of the series, go to:
Taylor vs. DeWine: candidate comparison, by the issues (2018 Republican primary for Ohio governor)
On life, only Mary Taylor and Nathan Estruth have always been pro-life with no exceptions. Mary was the only woman to co-sponsor a bill to ban abortion in Ohio, no exceptions. Mary has said she would not only sign, but she would call for the Heartbeat bill. While Mike DeWine has voted for some pro-life legislation, DeWine also voted for Sonia Sotomayor, Merrick Garland, and Eric Holder, and DeWine championed Judge Barrett, the Planned Parenthood judge who is the reason our tax dollars in Ohio still go to Planned Parenthood.
Mary Taylor is endorsed by the grassroots/local Right to Life Action Coalition of Ohio, while Mike DeWine is endorsed by the Ohio Right to Life PAC.
You’ll recall that John Kasich (governor of Ohio 2011-2019) was one of the Republican governors who disappointingly chose to embrace the Obamacare expansion of Medicaid, putting thousands more in government dependency; when Ohio rejected his preferred policy, Kasich circumvented the legislature and imposed his will anyway.
Two candidates are running for the Republican nomination to replace Kasich (who is term-limited):
Mary Taylor
Gibbons vs. Renacci: U.S. Senate Republican Primary (2018, Ohio) Candidate Comparison, by the Endorsements
May 3, 2018
There are five candidates on the ballot in the primary this Tuesday seeking the Republican nomination to challenge incumbent Sherrod Brown for U. S. senator from Ohio, but pollsters indicate the two who realistically have any chance of winning the nomination are Mike Gibbons and Jim Renacci.* Here’s how they compare, according to organizations that have looked into the candidates’ records and positions on different issues:
On Immigration
Conversations with Bill Kristol: Jonah Goldberg on Nationalism, Populism, and Identity Politics
April 29, 2018
Fascinating discussion of how we got to this point, and what you might call the political “cycle of violence”. Lots of blame to go around.
I made some of these arguments myself, some years before the dynamic produced Trump. My left-leaning friends in general didn’t see it, then or now. Some seem to be responding by doubling down, even more of the same. So I imagine this will all continue to get worse before it gets better.
I find it fascinating that our left-leaning friends claim both that conservatives* are poor (at least compared to liberals) and that they’re rich. People of the left then use both claims as justifications for their self-righteous contempt for those who disagree with them.
Hillary Clinton last month:
But what the map doesn’t show you is that I won the places that represent two-thirds of America’s gross domestic product.
NPR this morning, on yesterday’s primary elections in Texas:
Driven by anti-President Trump fervor, there were plenty of positive signs for a once-latent Democratic Party in Texas. . . . Democrats fielded a record number of candidates in all 36 congressional districts, and there’s the potential to flip maybe three or more seats come November.
By the early hours of Wednesday, Democratic vote totals neared 1 million, nearly doubling totals from 2014 and reaching a level not seen in a midterm primary for the party since 2002.
2002, you say? I can’t seem to recall—how did that one turn out for Democrats?
John Kasich Literally the Worst
March 7, 2018
John Kasich in a speech last night, reviewing his own performance as governor of Ohio for the past eight years:
In this job, I’ve just done everything that I could do. I’ve done my best.
Except that time when he stayed in the presidential primaries until just after Ted Cruz had dropped out—i.e., exactly long enough to ensure the candidate Kasich most claims to hate would become the nominee. Kasich did literally the worst he could do.
Reports of John Kasich’s Popularity Greatly Exaggerated
February 2, 2018
(Editor’s note: I was honestly going to send this as a private e-mail to the Hot Air writer Jazz Shaw, but I was unable to find an e-mail address or contact information for him anywhere on the site. Rather than throw the letter away, I thought I might as well just publish it as an open letter here. I’ve accordingly also added links to some of the other topics I referenced in the letter.)
Mr. Shaw,
I can’t resist (albeit belatedly) responding to your thoughts on John Kasich’s popularity (or lack thereof) last week.
In particular, you wrote, “In 2014, however, he won his second race by more than 30% and carried 86 of 88 counties. His level of general support was undeniable.”
Enjoyment and Contemplation 