Townhall Review | Conservative Commentary On Today's News

On Sabbath eve of July 21st, the Salomon family in the Israeli community of Halamish prepared a “Shalom Zachor” celebration to welcome their new-born baby grandson. As they set out sweets and refreshments for their expected guests, a 19-year-old Palestinian stranger burst into the home and stabbed four members of the family, killing three of them. The savage assault coated the floor of the kitchen and dining room with literally gallons of spilled blood, before an off-duty soldier, hearing the commotion in a neighboring home, shot and apprehended the terrorist. The terror organization Hamas hailed the “operation” as “heroic” and the U.N. representative for the Palestinian Authority refused to condemn it. These reactions highlight the nature of the ongoing, worldwide struggle against Islamo-Nazi terror. It’s not about borders, or mosques, or metal detectors: it’s about good and evil. Our domestic political differences look trivial by comparison.

Nicolas Maduro, president—really dictator—of Venezuela recently held a sham election to rewrite the country’s constitution. The pretext for the vote was to create a new National Constituent Assembly to draft a new Venezuelan constitution. Speaking in the White House briefing room, General H.R. McMaster said, “The sham election of the National Constituent Assembly [in Venezuela] represents a very serious blow to democracy in our hemisphere. Maduro is not just a bad leader. He is now a dictator.” Shortly after the so-called election, opposition leaders were seized from their homes by Venezuela’s secret police. It is a humanitarian crisis in addition to a political one. The United States has responded by imposing strict sanctions. No one in the U.S. can do business with Venezuela. Mr. Maduro also joins a very short list of heads of state who are personally sanctioned by our government. Nonetheless, the question remains: Can the United States allow a dictator with ties to Iran to set up in Venezuela? No. The U.S. must act.

Nothing is more frustrating to me as an American than the distraction that is the mainstream media. So many wonderful things are happening in this great country of ours, but they get lost in the obsession with the latest drama in Washington D.C. For example, President Donald Trump recently announced that Foxconn—a Taiwanese high tech company—will be building a 10 billion dollar manufacturing facility for the production of LCD screens in Wisconsin, creating literally thousands of American jobs. Foxconn is responsible for manufacturing products like the iPhone and PlayStation. Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker anticipates that the Foxconn project will produce 13,000 high paying jobs, as well as another 22,000 indirect jobs and 10,000 construction jobs. Think that’s a big deal? I sure do. But I bet you’ve heard little or nothing about it in the press. Are there difficult things to walk through? Absolutely. But: • The economy is performing well, and: • President Trump promised he’d bring American jobs back. He’s doing just that. Some good things are happening: Let’s hope we can start hearing more about them.

It has been rumored in Washington that President Trump may fire Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating possible Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Although this is possible, it would be ill advised on the part of the president. If he and his staff are indeed innocent and have not colluded with the Russians (and there is no evidence to date that they have), then this will be over. Robert Mueller will not indict simply for the sake of indicting. If, on the other hand, the president chooses to fire Mueller, he should expect his administration to undergo extraordinary stresses and his momentum to vanish over night. Republicans have enough problems on their hands. There are 20 vacancies on the circuit court of appeals and over 100 vacancies on the lower courts for which there has not been a nomination put forward yet. This is unacceptable. It’s a failure of governance. Republicans don’t need another Saturday Night Massacre 2.0 and firing Robert Mueller would be just that. The Trump administration should instead focus on putting forward originalist nominees for the depleted judiciary.

President Trump’s recent announcement to disallow service by transgendered individuals is an opportunity to remind ourselves what military service is—and what it is not. The Armed Services should not be a lab for social experiments, a testing ground for inclusion or a battleground in the sexual revolution. The American military should choose whom to admit and accommodate based on one factor alone: assembling the best possible fighting force for fighting and winning wars. Any policy that advances that goal is good; any policy that deters it is bad. Debates in the culture at large should be fought outside the armed services. Our military’s job is to defend the nation. That job is harder if we complicate it with political correctness, putting sensitivity over security. President Trump’s decision was designed to unburden our fighting forces so they can focus on their primary mission. Yes, that decision raised even more eyebrows because it came out of the blue via Twitter. Get used to it. That’s Trump. On the merits, he’s completely correct.

Hugh Hewitt interviews White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci on President Trump’s displeasure with Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Mike Gallagher turns to Kellyanne Conway, counselor to the President, on how the mainstream media spins information while leaving out the finer points of healthcare reform or tax reform. Dr. Ben Carson, United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, speaks with Michael Medved about his plan to improve homeless conditions. Scott Pruitt, Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, speaks with Larry Elder about his plan to reign in and refocus the agency. Dennis Prager invites Betsy DeVos, United States Secretary of Education, to share her plan to give parents and students more choices in how and where they get their education. Former Texas Governor Rick Perry who is now head of the Department of Energy, spoke with Hugh Hewitt about his plan for clean nuclear power. In the face of a Bernie Sanders led single payer healthcare system, Dennis Prager shares how government regulation and control is a formidable opponent for Republicans to fight.

I hope you heard about Senator John McCain’s heroic to the floor of the United States Senate to keep the effort to repeal and replace Obamacare alive. We should—and his colleagues should—listen. With reference to “their deliberations” he said: “They can be sincere and principled. But they are more partisan, more tribal more of the time than any other time I remember.” Senator McCain has seen and accomplished much during his decades as an elected official, in service to the people of Arizona and the country. So his words from the Senate floor should serve as a warning to all of us: Our system of deliberative democracy is suffering and our public officials may only be making it worse. It’s a sad observation from someone we should listen to. For our part, we should focus on sending to Washington people are who are focused on solving problems, not just demagoging them; people who put patriotism above partisanship; people who appeal to what unites us, rather than what divides us.

When you think about quality K-12 schools that put kids on a path to being successful, independent adults, do you think of gender inclusive toolkits, opposition to federal law enforcement, and support for the impeachment of the President? If you do not, you probably were not at the National Education Association’s annual meeting where the aforementioned matters were included on its 159-point “new business” agenda. In worldwide rankings, U.S. high school students do not make the top 20 in either science or reading and have dropped to 35th in math. The NEA put forward 159 new business items and nary a one dealing with student performance, classroom instruction, or fiduciary responsibility. The NEA has affiliates in all 50 states. They takeover school districts, subordinate intellectual development to political indoctrination, and purchase legislators who fund it all on your dime and at your kid’s expense. So when the NEA tells you that their business is making your kid a sentinel of the welfare state, you should believe them—and maybe you should show up to a school board meeting too.

Despite the partisan polarization that characterizes both politics and media at the moment, the public seems surprisingly united when it comes to defining Americanism. A new Voter Study Group survey associated with George Washington University, showed a full 93 percent agreeing that “respect for American institutions and laws” is important for being an American. Meanwhile, 88 percent believe it’s important to “accept people of diverse racial and religious backgrounds” to claim authentic American identity. Only 20 percent think “European heritage” should be part of Americanism but a full 85 percent—even 75 percent of Democrats!—believe it’s important to speak English and to embrace our common language. All in all, the survey that interviewed 8,000 respondents showed a populace much less fractured, bigoted and resentful than often assumed. Nearly all of us understand that what makes us American isn’t where our ancestors came from, but the common ideals and shared culture that we uphold and advance.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan face a very difficult choice as they survey the smoking ruins of their “unified GOP government” after nearly six months in office. They could decide to pivot from health care to racking up small victories and awaiting reinforcements from the 2018 elections. Or they could go for a big deal with Democrats. It’s a tough choice for Ryan and McConnell, but I’m hoping they opt for the latter. Putting off fixing the disaster that is Obamacare is risky, though not impossible. If Republicans score enough small victories between now and November 2018, it may be possible to hold both houses of Congress. The 2018 prospects look bad for both parties: The GOP lacks policy victories, thanks to imprudence of the Freedom Caucus in the House, and scared moderates and ridged conservatives in the Senate.. The Democrats are lost in Trump hatred to the point where a large part of the country thinks that they and the mainstream media are deranged. We are at a crisis point where citizens are giving up on representative government en masse. So why not swing for the fences?

Late last week we got the sad news that Senator John McCain has been diagnosed with a brain tumor—a malignant brain tumor. I’ve been in this business a long time and it’s hard to remember a story about the U.S. Senate without McCain being a part of it. Since 1987, he has always been there and has always been part of the debate. All of those who get the fact that American politics is a team sport have been frustrated with John McCain at one time or another, disappointed with him occasionally. But there’s no doubt that Senator McCain is a great American; a man of conviction; a patriot. He’s been a Congressman, a Senator and the GOP nominee for President. Before all that, though, Lt. Commander McCain served our nation in Vietnam as a Navy fighter pilot. He was shot down in October of ’67—only to suffer then 5 ½ years in captivity and never give in. John McCain is a fighter. Won’t you join me in hoping—and praying—that John McCain can fight back this round cancer and continue his service to the nation?

Hugh Hewitt shares a part of his column in The Washington Post on the GOP Healthcare failure. We also hear from Senator Majority Leader McConnell as he refocuses efforts to move forward in the aftermath. Mike Gallagher interviews Senator Lindsay Graham on interesting alternatives to Obamacare. Senator Tom Cotton offers his insight into the importance of the upcoming 2018 election and also what threats may emerge as a result of the Iran Deal. Larry Elder spoke with Professor John Eastman, former Dean of the Chapman University School of Law, on the media hype over Donald Trump Jr.’s meeting with a Russian lawyer during the 2016 Presidential Election. Mike Gallagher interviews Lanny Davis about the Trump White House and their crisis management. Michael Medved talks with Nick Eberstadt about his latest book, Men Without Work – America’s Invisible Crisis. Hugh Hewitt turned to Dennis Prager to sort out Prager’s controversial tweet that has media on both sides angry with him.

The superb new movie “Dunkirk” conveys important messages about a fateful episode of World War II. In May, 1940, the rapid Nazi advance through France trapped a huge British army on the coast, offering easy targets for Luftwaffe bombers. The Royal Navy couldn’t rescue the troops from the beaches, so the government rallied civilian craft—fishing boats, ferries, and pleasure cruisers. Some 650 “little ships” helped take more than 300,000 troops safely home. This miraculous evacuation exemplified “The Dunkirk Spirit,” where private initiative saves the nation in a crisis. Watching this thrilling movie, American citizens should find our “Dunkirk Spirit” to help our country overcome present dangers. We should also recall the example of the new Prime Minister in 1940, who inspired his countryman after Dunkirk by pledging “we shall never surrender.” Churchill’s words remind us that our politics need not remain tawdry and petty, and can rise once again to grandeur and nobility.

A Pew Research study shows sharp contrasts between Republicans and Democrats in attitudes toward wealth and poverty. By more than three-to-one, Republicans say hard work, rather than a person’s advantages, explains why people are rich. Among Democrats, only 29 percent agree about the value of hard work, while 60 percent say financial success comes from “advantages in life.” In explaining poverty, 56 percent of Republicans cite “lack of effort” but only 19 percent of Democrats agree with them. Surprisingly, ideology has more influence on attitudes toward wealth and poverty than does current economic status. Nearly a third of low-income respondents admit “lack of effort” explains poverty, while 37 percent of high earners see their good fortune as based on undeserved “advantages in life.” These results suggest that our approaches toward rich and poor stem more from world-view, values and inclination—rather than current standing or personal experience.

Over seven years ago, Democrats in Congress joined President Obama to create a massive expansion of Washington’s role in our health care system. And in the time since then, we’ve witnessed the many ways in which Obamacare has hurt the American health system. Republicans in the United States Senate had the opportunity this week to repeal large parts of that law and to set health policy in America on a different course. The GOP legislation wasn’t perfect, but was certainly an improvement on the status quo. It was also the best chance Republicans have ever had to substantially repeal and replace Obamacare. Unfortunately, several Republican Senators voiced their opposition to even considering the bill, closing the door on the debate. A number did so because they didn’t think it went far enough. Others did so because they thought it went too far. Whatever their reasoning, these Senators have effectively enshrined Obamacare as the law of the land. And they have turned their backs on a promise that they, and other Republicans, have been making for years. For these failures, they have only themselves to blame.