Townhall Review | Conservative Commentary On Today's News

Townhall Review -- March 24, 2018

Mike Gallagher talks about the Austin, TX bombing as well as this week’s shooting incident at a Great Mills, Maryland school that was minimized by a fast-acting, courageous officer. Veteran FBI profiler James Fitzgerald, goes inside the mind of the Austin bomber, just like he did with Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber, who he helped stop. Michael Medved invites ADF President Michael Farris to share the latest on an important Supreme Court case with huge First Amendment implications. Julianne Benzel sits in with Dennis Prager to share about how her suggestion of having students protest abortion backfired. Larry Elder turns to Jesse Lee Peterson, a South Los Angeles community leader, author and radio host to talk about Louis Farrakhan, the leader of the Nation of Islam and his recent racial taunts against whites and Jews. Hugh Hewitt invites Jon Erwin, producer of "I Can Only Imagine" to share about his experience making the faith-based movie.

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An Economist/YouGov poll asks respondents if they’d back “a presidential candidate who has done immoral acts in private life.”

A full 48 percent of Republicans find it acceptable, but only 19 percent of Democrats agree.  After three-decades of Democratic infatuation with the profoundly imperfect Bill and Hillary, this counts as a shock.

Yes, these attitudes reflect the polarized response to the current incumbent but other factors make the GOP less judgmental than the stereotype. More common identification with religion helps Republicans see “immoral acts in private” as nearly universal, so they pick the most capable sinner.

It’s liberals who view politics as life’s highest calling, while conservatives look askance at politicians in general, while feeling ready to trade a bit of private imperfection for a lot of public competence.

Townhall Review -- March 24, 2018

Mike Gallagher talks about the Austin, TX bombing as well as this week’s shooting incident at a Great Mills, Maryland school that was minimized by a fast-acting, courageous officer. Veteran FBI profiler James Fitzgerald, goes inside the mind of the Austin bomber, just like he did with Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber, who he helped stop. Michael Medved invites ADF President Michael Farris to share the latest on an important Supreme Court case with huge First Amendment implications. Julianne Benzel sits in with Dennis Prager to share about how her suggestion of having students protest abortion backfired. Larry Elder turns to Jesse Lee Peterson, a South Los Angeles community leader, author and radio host to talk about Louis Farrakhan, the leader of the Nation of Islam and his recent racial taunts against whites and Jews. Hugh Hewitt invites Jon Erwin, producer of "I Can Only Imagine" to share about his experience making the faith-based movie.

An important case before the Supreme Court this week points back to 2015, when the legislature in California adopted a law requiring crisis pregnancy centers to articulate an explicitly pro-abortion message right down to how women could contact the state about financial assistance in obtaining an abortion.

In short: It’s a law compelling speech.

Ilya Shapiro, representing the CATO institute, points out that it’s extremely telling that California has no comparable law requiring abortion providers to post advertisements for adoption agencies, or any other alternative to abortion.

We're about to find out in short order if the justices of the United States Supreme Court mean what they say when they pledge to uphold the constitution of the United States—a constitution that includes the right of a citizen not to have a government coerce speech against conviction.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An important case before the Supreme Court this week points back to 2015, when the legislature in California adopted a law requiring crisis pregnancy centers to articulate an explicitly pro-abortion message right down to how women could contact the state about financial assistance in obtaining an abortion.

In short: It’s a law compelling speech.

Ilya Shapiro, representing the CATO institute, points out that it’s extremely telling that California has no comparable law requiring abortion providers to post advertisements for adoption agencies, or any other alternative to abortion.

We're about to find out in short order if the justices of the United States Supreme Court mean what they say when they pledge to uphold the constitution of the United States—a constitution that includes the right of a citizen not to have a government coerce speech against conviction.

California is stepping closer to a civil war with the federal government over immigration. In the latest round, one day after President Trump visited the state to see prototypes of his border wall, the state senate appointed an illegal immigrant to serve on a state commission, a big step in California’s progressive history.

Lizbeth Mateo, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico, was appointed to the state’s Student Opportunity and Access Program Project Advisory Committee.  Perhaps, as a lawyer who advocates for immigration rights, she would have a perspective to share as a witness before a state commission, but as a member? There’s no legal basis for that and it is a further effort by California to tweak the Trump administration. 

Unfortunately, the rule of law is rarely raised anymore in debates about immigration policy. Tweaking Trump is just a bad approach to public policy.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

California is stepping closer to a civil war with the federal government over immigration. In the latest round, one day after President Trump visited the state to see prototypes of his border wall, the state senate appointed an illegal immigrant to serve on a state commission, a big step in California’s progressive history.

Lizbeth Mateo, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico, was appointed to the state’s Student Opportunity and Access Program Project Advisory Committee.  Perhaps, as a lawyer who advocates for immigration rights, she would have a perspective to share as a witness before a state commission, but as a member? There’s no legal basis for that and it is a further effort by California to tweak the Trump administration. 

Unfortunately, the rule of law is rarely raised anymore in debates about immigration policy. Tweaking Trump is just a bad approach to public policy.

I’m a huge admirer of Poland.

I love the way they have embraced their national identity, including their Christian heritage.

As an investor in Poland, I have admired their embrace of human productivity which helped to make Poland the best performing market in the world last year.

But this wonderful nation may be on the verge of a big mistake. It has passed a law which would illegalize speech about the small role which Polish collaborators played in the holocaust. Israeli leaders have reached out and officials from both nations are meeting in Jerusalem to discuss it, while Poland reconsiders this law.

Pope John Paul II, perhaps Poland's greatest gift to the world, probably did more than any Pope in history to heal the relationship between Catholicism and Judaism. His compatriots should follow his great example.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I’m a huge admirer of Poland.

I love the way they have embraced their national identity, including their Christian heritage.

As an investor in Poland, I have admired their embrace of human productivity which helped to make Poland the best performing market in the world last year.

But this wonderful nation may be on the verge of a big mistake. It has passed a law which would illegalize speech about the small role which Polish collaborators played in the holocaust. Israeli leaders have reached out and officials from both nations are meeting in Jerusalem to discuss it, while Poland reconsiders this law.

Pope John Paul II, perhaps Poland's greatest gift to the world, probably did more than any Pope in history to heal the relationship between Catholicism and Judaism. His compatriots should follow his great example.

A wave of change is coming in the 2018 and 2020 elections:  the rise of millennial voters.  In those elections, millennials, born between 1980-2000, will finally pass baby boomers as the largest voting generation.

What we know is that millennials hold different political views than their boomer parents.  They are more fearful, saying 4-1 that America is on the wrong track.  They believe less in political institutions such as Congress and the President.  They are more open to socialism, less committed to freedom. Seventy-one percent say we need a new political party. 

What we don’t know is how many millennials will actually show up to vote.  So far, their voting percentage is low:  only half or less of eligible voters in 2016. 

It seems likely that millennial concerns will change the conversation in future elections, but we’ll have to wait and see whether they actually vote and change the outcome.

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