Recent Viewpoints

Contrary to what many political strategists might think, being pro-life as a candidate can be a winning issue. Marjorie Dannenfelser was on my radio program to explain her recent commentary on why the “pro-life movement is winning the culture—and elections.” Polling statistics, recent elections, and common sense all point to the fact that being pro-life is a winning issue in most campaigns. The most recent Gallup poll found that a majority of Americans (55%) oppose abortion in all or most…

We fought an American Revolution so that a king would no longer rule us. For two centuries presidents and members of Congress served because “we the people” elected them to office. Charles Cooke believes that the last few presidents have begun to act like kings. He laments that: “we seem to believe that we are the children of legislatures, not of kings.” But there is nothing to guarantee that will continue in the future. The freedom we enjoy today may…

If we are to defeat ISIS, we will need a comprehensive strategy that includes both military, economic, and diplomatic action. This combined effort has the greatest possibility for success. Ambassador Francis Rooney was on my program recently to talk about such a strategy. He believes that we should begin by correctly identifying ISIS and other groups as radical jihadists. He also argues for an embargo that would cut off extremist held territory. No cross border movement should be allowed. He…

When we are talking about the conflict between the West and radical Islam, do we have a clash of civilizations? Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton apparently does not think so. At the last Democratic presidential debate, she said she worried “that the rhetoric coming from Republicans, particularly Donald Trump, is sending a message to Muslims here . . . and around the world, that there is a clash of civilizations.” The phrase “clash of civilizations” is important because it…

In less than a month the country will begin the formal process of picking a president. The nation’s first state contest, the Iowa caucuses begin February 1. On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton holds a substantial lead in the polls there. But opponent Bernie Sanders continues to draw large crowds and raise lots of money. There’s much excitement on the Republican side. Who will drop out? Who will remain? Who will get their vote out? Who will emerge, perhaps not…

Much of the debate about the minimum wage has focused on providing a living wage for hard-working people. As admirable that that might seem, there are consequences to raising the minimum wage, especially to the level demanded by activists who want everyone to have a living wage. One of the prime targets has been Wal-Mart. The company did raise its base wage last April and is scheduled to increase the base wage again next month. Last month, Wal-Mart announced a…

Andrew McCarthy is asking a good question. “Let’s say you are an authentically moderate Muslim.” You might have been born in a Muslim country or even converted to Islam. You might even be a devout Muslim who rejects the idea of jihad. So then he asks this question: “Is there any insulting thing I could say, no matter how provocative, or any demeaning video I could show you, no matter how lurid, that would convince you to join ISIS?” He…

A recent editorial in the Wall Street Journal wondered out loud why the low prices at the gas pump weren’t translating into economic growth. This should make economists scratch their heads. After all, people are filling their gas tanks these days and only paying about $2 a gallon when it was often over $3.50 just a little over a year ago. Most people should be saving at least an extra $100 a month. Economists predicted that savings would act like…

Franklin Graham made quite an announcement the other day. First he explained his exasperation with the Republican Party when members of Congress passed the $1.1 trillion, pork-laden omnibus bill that failed to defund Planned Parenthood. He said: “Shame on [Congress] for passing such a wasteful spending bill last week. And to top it off, funding Planned Parenthood! A Huffington Post article called it ‘a big win for Planned Parenthood.’ I call it a big loss for America. After all of…

The Planned Parenthood Federation of America recently released an annual report covering its activities for 2014. The report indicates that 323,999 babies were aborted at Planned Parenthood clinics that year. This is down from 2013’s total: 327, 653. Jim Sedlak, vice president of American Life League and longtime critic of Planned Parenthood, says that is “the lowest number of annual abortions at Planned Parenthood since 2007.” But Planned Parenthood is still, by far, the nation’s largest abortion provider. And abortion…

A report by the Pew Research Center warned that the U.S. birth rate dropped to its lowest level since the beginning of the Great Depression. The birth rate of 63.2 per 1,000 women of childbearing age is the lowest since at least 1920. The major reason for the decline in births was due to a drop in births among immigrants. America would have dropped below replacement levels if it were not for the significant number of births among immigrants. The…