“You wonder how these things begin.” — (The Fantasticks) In the beginning there was a combative media. Dating back to Colonial America, as Eric Burns has chronicled in his book, “Infamous Scribblers,” politicians and journalists have mostly had a love (for Democrats)-hate (for Republicans) relationship. It is television and the advent of the celebrity culture […]
donald trump
Posted inOp-Eds
Iowa a test for evangelical Christians
KEOSAUQUA, Iowa — “Awaken the body of Christ that we might pull back from this abyss.” When Sen. Ted Cruz closed his prayerful plea to a crowd of about 150 people here late Tuesday night, the “abyss” he had in mind was something larger than the prospect of a Donald Trump victory in Monday’s caucuses. […]
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Posted inLetters
Is Trump presidential material?
Voters need to be thoughtful and careful when they elect a new president. America doesn’t need an arrogant, crude leader who lacks respect for the dignity of the office of the president — someone who will do or say almost anything to get attention. This nation doesn’t need an angry president who hates immigrants and […]
Posted inLetters
Give the devil his due
In the foreword to his famous “Screwtape Letters,” C.S. Lewis wrote: “People make two, equally serious, mistakes about the devil. The first is they disbelieve in his existence; the second, that they give him too much credence.” It’s a fine line to walk sometimes. One of the songs playing at Donald Trump’s recent rally announcing […]
Posted inOp-Eds
Attacks on Trump increase popularity
WASHINGTON — Welcome to what I’ve called “the politics of self-esteem.” By this, I mean that increasing numbers of people, on both the right and left and most with good intentions, have become politically engaged because it makes them feel better. It raises their self-esteem. This phenomenon predates Donald Trump’s candidacy, but it helps explain […]
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Democrats could pick off Trump supporters
They support activist government. They’re not socially conservative. They resent big money in politics. And if you administered a truth serum, they would probably say nice things about Obamacare. These are blue-collar supporters of Donald Trump. Democrats would do well to ask themselves, “Why aren’t some of them ours?” I say “some” because a good […]
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Ground zero mosque episode is instructive
WASHINGTON — Remember the “Mosque at Ground Zero”? With little fanfare this fall, the New York developer who had planned to build an Islamic community center north of the World Trade Center announced that he would instead use the site for a 70-story tower of luxury condos. Those who had rallied in opposition to a […]
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Trump’s campaign has already succeeded
WASHINGTON — So how exactly does this work, Donald Trump’s plan to keep America safe from Islamic terrorism by barring entry to all Muslims? He explained it Tuesday on TV. The immigration official will ask the foreigner if he’s a Muslim. “And if they said, ‘yes,’ they would not be allowed in the country?” Trump: […]
Posted inLetters
Statistics don’t lie, do they?
Recent news reports claimed that 68 percent of Donald Trump supporters would be willing to vote for him if he ran for president as an independent. Sounds awful, but what does it really mean? About 35 percent of registered voters are Republicans. Polls have Trump with the support of about 27 percent of registered Republicans; […]
Posted inLetters
Let’s get back to the best
Dr. Ben Carson is among the greatest and brightest surgeons in this great country. Babe Ruth and David Ortiz are two of the greatest baseball players ever. If they were to put on skates and use hockey sticks, would they be qualified to play hockey? Bill Clinton is already trying to destroy the 22nd Amendment, […]