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.
I should have noted in my message about the weekly Torah portion that this week is Shabbat Chazon, the Sabbath of Vision. We are about to mourn -- but see through that pain to something better that lies beyond, on the other side.
Wishing you the best vision -- and an incredible reality to follow. It happens!
We begin the final speech of Moses to the people of Israel before they enter the Promised Land. He relates the ups and downs of the years of wandering in the desert, before, finally, the people have the merit to enter the land itself.
This Sabbath always precedes Tisha B'Av, the Ninth of Av, the saddest day on the Jewish calendar. It is the anniversary of the destruction of both of the Holy Temples, and a catch-all for many calamities that befell the Jewish people.
A word on Tisha B'Av. This year I am leaving for an overseas trip during the afternoon of the holiday -- in the middle of a fast day. Not idea, but there was no other choice. But my flight is in the afternoon, which is significant.
We relax some of the harsh, mournful customs of the day in the afternoon. We start to pray normally; we sit on regular chairs; we start to have hope again in the redemption that will, one day, lead us all back from exile to our home.
I'll be taking a trip to a land where an important part of ...
President Trump is in Scotland, playing golf and making big trade deals -- a major deal with the EU, in fact. Meanwhile, there is a global outcry about humanitarian aid to Palestinians (not about the Israeli hostages, mind you).
On top of that, Democrats are at their lowest polling numbers ever -- so they are trying to win control of the House by redistricting in the middle of a 10-year Census cycle. Oh, economic optimism is up, so they have a tough road.
And Tulsi Gabbard's revelations about the Russia collusion investigation make it clear that Obama's lieutenants lied to Congress. How deeply was he himself involved? The media continue to ignore the evidence, but we certainly won't.
Special guests:
Nick Gilbertson - Breitbart News White House correspondent, on EU deal
Frances Martel - Breitbart News foreign editor, on Trump abroad and Russia
John Spencer - urban warfare expert, on humanitarian aid and war in Gaza
Bradley Jaye - Breitbart News congressional correspondent, on the ...
