Townhall Review | Conservative Commentary On Today's News

Townhall Review -- February 3, 2018

Hugh Hewitt opens by dissecting President Trump’s first State of the Union address with Lanhee Chen of the Hoover Institute. Dennis Prager tackles the shocking Democratic response to the president’s State of the Union speech. Michael Medved exposes the alarming body of growing misinformation on the controversial subject of immigration. Journalist Howard Kurtz is invited by Mike Gallagher to discuss his new book, “Media Madness: Donald Trump, the Press, and the War Over the Truth.” Larry Elder then takes up the issue of a newly revealed photo of Barack Obama with Louis Farrakhan that the media kept from the public for 13 years. Dennis Prager returns to explain why the Left-wing media presents a grave danger to Western civilization itself. Finally, Mike Gallagher also returns to discuss a popular Senate bill to ban abortion after 20 weeks that was filibustered by Democrats.

A survey of opinion on the Middle East brings good news to Israel and bad news for Democrats. The Pew Center asked the question: “In the dispute between Israel and the Palestinians, who do you sympathize with?” Among every gender, every racial or religious group, every age or educational level, Americans strongly sided with Israelis.

Only one political group—self-identified Democrats—split nearly evenly between sympathies for Israel and the Palestinians—with 27 percent with the Jewish state, 26 percent for the Palestinians.

By contrast, Republicans backed Israeli by a lopsided ratio of 13 to 1, while Independents favored the Jewish state by nearly 3 to 1. What puts Democrats so badly out of the mainstream?

In part, it’s the moral relativism that’s infected contemporary liberalism, leaving the left reluctant ever to say one side’s right and the other’s wrong. Moreover, Israelis and Americans share a reverence for three institutions many liberals instinctively distrust: the military, business and traditional faith.

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President Trump’s opening words of his State of the Union Address were his entire message, “A clear vision, a righteous mission.” The speech was 100 percent pure Trump, because he was first, and remains primarily, a builder: first of towers, then of a television show, then of the most unorthodox campaign in American history, now of a presidency of concrete achievement. Like any builder, he touches up the obvious cracks, the unnecessary and off-putting cruelty in the harsh attacks, and then he sells the best features. He’s building his record, and he’s patching it up as he goes.

So, in this very big, very crucial speech, the big things were immigrants and building: integration of new communities, the “Dreamers,” intervention in the lives of the addicted, and the infrastructure everywhere.

For everyone: upbeat stuff, big picture stories, wonderful inspiring narratives, good stuff. Keep it up, Mr. President! Put away the division. Keep that building going.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A survey of opinion on the Middle East brings good news to Israel and bad news for Democrats. The Pew Center asked the question: “In the dispute between Israel and the Palestinians, who do you sympathize with?” Among every gender, every racial or religious group, every age or educational level, Americans strongly sided with Israelis.

Only one political group—self-identified Democrats—split nearly evenly between sympathies for Israel and the Palestinians—with 27 percent with the Jewish state, 26 percent for the Palestinians.

By contrast, Republicans backed Israeli by a lopsided ratio of 13 to 1, while Independents favored the Jewish state by nearly 3 to 1. What puts Democrats so badly out of the mainstream?

In part, it’s the moral relativism that’s infected contemporary liberalism, leaving the left reluctant ever to say one side’s right and the other’s wrong. Moreover, Israelis and Americans share a reverence for three institutions many liberals instinctively distrust: the military, business and traditional faith.

President Trump’s opening words of his State of the Union Address were his entire message, “A clear vision, a righteous mission.” The speech was 100 percent pure Trump, because he was first, and remains primarily, a builder: first of towers, then of a television show, then of the most unorthodox campaign in American history, now of a presidency of concrete achievement. Like any builder, he touches up the obvious cracks, the unnecessary and off-putting cruelty in the harsh attacks, and then he sells the best features. He’s building his record, and he’s patching it up as he goes.

So, in this very big, very crucial speech, the big things were immigrants and building: integration of new communities, the “Dreamers,” intervention in the lives of the addicted, and the infrastructure everywhere.

For everyone: upbeat stuff, big picture stories, wonderful inspiring narratives, good stuff. Keep it up, Mr. President! Put away the division. Keep that building going.

A major study from the Pew Research Center should reassure those of us who worry about the fragmentation of America based on race and ethnicity. Among the 43 million U.S. adults with Hispanic ancestry, a full 5 million don’t identify themselves as “Hispanic” or “Latino” at all.

Moreover, among families who’ve lived in the United States four generations or more—in other words, those with parents and grand-grandparents who are American born—Hispanic identification is only fifty-fifty. This means Latinos follow the familiar pattern of other immigrant groups, like the Irish or Italians, who de-emphasize ethnic identity after several generations in the U.S.

This contrasts with patterns of racial identity, where the great majority of African-Americans still describe themselves as black, even after several centuries in the U.S. Heavy intermarriage plays a big part in the increasingly rapid assimilation of Hispanics: among married third generation Latinos, the big majority—nearly two-thirds, in fact—have a non-Latino spouse.

Perhaps we’re not as fragmented as the pessimists presume.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A major study from the Pew Research Center should reassure those of us who worry about the fragmentation of America based on race and ethnicity. Among the 43 million U.S. adults with Hispanic ancestry, a full 5 million don’t identify themselves as “Hispanic” or “Latino” at all.

Moreover, among families who’ve lived in the United States four generations or more—in other words, those with parents and grand-grandparents who are American born—Hispanic identification is only fifty-fifty. This means Latinos follow the familiar pattern of other immigrant groups, like the Irish or Italians, who de-emphasize ethnic identity after several generations in the U.S.

This contrasts with patterns of racial identity, where the great majority of African-Americans still describe themselves as black, even after several centuries in the U.S. Heavy intermarriage plays a big part in the increasingly rapid assimilation of Hispanics: among married third generation Latinos, the big majority—nearly two-thirds, in fact—have a non-Latino spouse.

Perhaps we’re not as fragmented as the pessimists presume.

One encouraging development is that power is leaving Washington, DC and heading to the states.  Policy wonks call it devolution, I call it progress.

After 15 years of federalizing K-12 education for example, Washington turned its back on No Child Left Behind and passed a bill returning power over schools to the states.  There’s no need for Washington to act, as Education Secretary Betsy DeVos says, as a national school board. 

There’s discussion in Congress that the states should not only manage the trees, plants and flowers in their territory, but wildlife as well, including endangered species.

Welfare reform may be the next big issue and any solution is likely to create a larger role for states. Only the marijuana laws are moving the other way, toward Washington.

It’s heartening that Washington may finally be reading the Tenth Amendment—that all powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution belong to the states or the people.  Not everything needs to be a federal case.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One encouraging development is that power is leaving Washington, DC and heading to the states.  Policy wonks call it devolution, I call it progress.

After 15 years of federalizing K-12 education for example, Washington turned its back on No Child Left Behind and passed a bill returning power over schools to the states.  There’s no need for Washington to act, as Education Secretary Betsy DeVos says, as a national school board. 

There’s discussion in Congress that the states should not only manage the trees, plants and flowers in their territory, but wildlife as well, including endangered species.

Welfare reform may be the next big issue and any solution is likely to create a larger role for states. Only the marijuana laws are moving the other way, toward Washington.

It’s heartening that Washington may finally be reading the Tenth Amendment—that all powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution belong to the states or the people.  Not everything needs to be a federal case.

Social media blew up when it appeared that Oprah Winfrey might run for president.  Think of it:  two billionaire media stars who had never held political office running for president. Only in America.

But the deeper question is why voters are turning in this direction?  Besides their obvious frustration with politicians, voters seem more interested in making statements than actually governing. We don’t know what policies Oprah might follow and, even after a year, Trump’s policy approach is still taking shape.  But they do make a statement.

A related problem is that the presidency is becoming all bully pulpit and no real leadership, all hat and no cattle as they say in Texas.  We want superheroes and action, not mature deliberation.  What passes for action in Washington these days is party-line votes and executive orders, not working through complex issues.

Citizens have duties, too, and we shouldn’t vote just to express frustration, but to guide the policy and governance of the nation.

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