Joel Pollak
Politics • Lifestyle • News • Travel • Writing
I will share my thoughts about American politics, as well as current events in Israel and elsewhere, based on my experiences in the U.S., South Africa, and the Middle East. I will also discuss books and popular culture from the perspective of a somewhat libertarian, religiously observant conservative living in California. I will also share art and ideas that I find useful and helpful, and link to my content at Breitbart News, Amazon, and elsewhere.
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Most of what I wanted politics to solve is being solved

It's odd to make this observation, because there are still many pressing issues; because we live in a time of division and outrage; and because I make my living writing conservative political polemics, but most of the issues that motivated me to get involved in U.S. politics on the Republican side are being resolved.

That was driven home to me on Tuesday, when a Democrat who backed J Street and its criticisms of Israel lost in a primary to a Democrat who backed Israel and was supported by AIPAC. In 2010, I was the first political candidate to stand up to J Street anywhere, when I challenged Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) in Illinois.

During that election, Obamacare was the major issue on voters' minds. The most offensive part of that law was the individual mandate, through which the government forced people to buy insurance. Republicans could never fulfill their promise to repeal Obamacare, but Trump killed the individual mandate.

Another big issue was spending. The Tea Party opposed massive deficit spending but both parties continued to spend big. They could do so, as long as there was low inflation and slow economic growth. Now that we are facing inflation not seen in forty years, Americans are thinking seriously about fiscal restraint.

Reality is also beginning to intrude into energy policy. Democrats could make sweeping, utopian "green" policies when energy was plentiful and fuel prices were low. Now that our grid is near the breaking point and gas is expensive, there is a growing will to compromise (though we are not quite there yet).

And as for the 2020 riots and "defund the police" -- well, you still see stupid Black Lives Matter signs and flags in liberal neighborhoods in many American cities, but voters, even in left-wing San Francisco, are busy throwing out the George Soros-backed prosecutors who helped drive a nationwide crime wave.

Back to foreign policy: I can't think of any issue on which I've ever agreed with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), whom I regard as one of the most destructive political figures in America. Yet she did the right thing by going to Taiwan this week and confronting China, amid President Joe Biden's weakness.

Biden probably didn't mind much, because he announced the killing of Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in Afghanistan. That didn't make up for his disastrous withdrawal last year, or for trashing Trump for similar counter-terror operations, but at least killing terrorists is once again a bipartisan pursuit.

And while Biden returned empty-handed from the Middle East in terms of Saudi concessions on oil, he reaffirmed U.S. support for Israel against Iran. He also walked back earlier promises to build a Palestinian consulate in Jerusalem. In other words: he abandoned his own policies, and embraced Trump's policies.

Abortion was not a major motivation for me, politically; I regard myself as personally pro-life, and I donate to an organization that provides financial support to pregnant mothers in need, but I never thought the government should be involved in the early stages of pregnancy. It's a theological issue, IMO.

Regardless, Roe v. Wade is now gone, thanks to Dobbs and Trump's appointees, and behold: the parade of horribles promised by the left is failing to materialize. Voters in Kansas(!) rejected a pro-life amendment to the state constitution. Boundaries are being set in the states, where this issue belongs.

I feel as if I'm starting to see the world I hoped for, coming back together. And maybe I can take some pride in helping bring about this outcome, because when J Street started their crap, I stood up to it. And others, later, did the same. We are back to bipartisan support for Israel. Maybe there is hope on other issues.

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Time-lapse sunrise at Temescal Falls
00:00:17
This is what is left of my special place in the forest

Burned, then covered in mudslides and rockslides. The river still flows through it. But we have lost so much. I have to believe the spirit still lives on.

00:00:16
The drive home 💔
00:00:46
Breitbart News Sunday: show rundown (August 24, 2025)

This week, we are tackling two major areas of contention between the Trump administration and Democrat governors: fighting crime, and redistricting. The president is sending the National Guard to blue cities -- and blue states are trying to stamp out Republican representation. Is this a civil war situation?

Special guests:

  • Bradley Jaye -- Breitbart News congressional correspondent, on redistricting
  • Tom Manza, California Business and Industrial Alliance, on Gavin Newsom
  • Jon Fleischman, veteran California political expert, on the special election
  • Dan Backer, veteran political lawyer and consultant, on corruption
  • DJ Mark Anthony, on a recent visit to Rome and visiting Pope Leo XIV

Tune in: SiriusXM Patriot 125, 7-10 p.m. ET / 4-7 p.m. PT
Call: 866-957-2874

Weekly Torah reading: Re'eh (Deuteronomy 11:26 - 16:17)

This week's portion is the last of the month of Av -- also known as Menachem (Comforter) Av -- which begins in mourning and ends in celebration and anticipation of the New Year and the process of repentance and renewal.

In a similar vein, the portion features Moses offering the Israelites a choice between a blessing and a curse. They are masters of their own fates: if they obey God's commandments, they receive the blessings -- and vice versa.

The key commandment is to reject idol worship. There is said to be something magnetic about the practice of worshiping idols in the new land, such that it would be constant moral battle, both individually and collectively, in the land.

Nowadays, according to Jewish tradition, humanity has lost the urge for idol worship (and the antidote, which is divine prophecy) -- but there are several near substitutes, such as lust or excessive appetites for worldly pleasures.

We are wired for compulsive behaviors, bad habits, and even addictions. These ...

Breitbart News Sunday: show rundown (August 17, 2025)

We have so much to talk about this week -- Trump's efforts to negotiate peace through negotiation, and Gavin Newsom's efforts to divide Americans through gerrymandering. We'll also talk about Playboy leaving LA and California.

Special guests:

Frances Martel - Breitbart News foreign editor, on Russia & Ukraine
Bradley Jaye - Breitbart News congressional correspondent, on Newsom
Harmeet Dhillon - DOJ Civil Rights Division chief, on the fight against DEI
Jessica Vaugn - Playboy model on political commentator, on California

Tune in: SiriusXM Patriot 125, 7-10 p.m. ET, 4-7 PT
Call: 866-957-2874

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