Larry Elder from Creators Syndicate

Rev. Jackson, the Fat Lady Is Singing for 07/17/2008

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700

A "jealous rage," Fox's Geraldo Rivera called it.

Before taping a "Fox & Friends" segment, Rev. Jesse Jackson, with his microphone on, sat next to another man. Turning to him, Jackson, speaking softly, launched into an attack on Barack Obama. "Barack, he's talking down to black people on this faith-based …" said Jackson. "I want to cut (Obama ...

Updated: Thu Jul 17, 2008

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Obama's Trip: Some Questions Katie, Brian and Charles Should Ask for 07/24/2008

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Q: Before your trip to Iraq, you said that you intend to give the military a "new mission" — all of the combat troops withdrawn within 16 months. Why bother traveling to Iraq and consulting with commanders on the ground, if you've already decided on a new mission?

Q: In 2004, you called it unwise to announce a timetable. By 2008, however, you announce a 16-month timetable ...

Updated: Thu Jul 24, 2008

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A Black Conservative Lament for 07/31/2008

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Oh, no, not another "blacks in America" news special! One of the cable networks recently put together another one of these "specials" on what it's like to be black in America. The network asked a conservative friend of mine to participate. He sent the following letter; and I wrote back.

Dear Larry,

OK, Larry, I grew up a bit last night. Those (unf ...

Updated: Thu Jul 31, 2008

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The Next Time You Say, 'Bush Lied, People Died' -- Think for 08/07/2008

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Listening to National Public Radio on the way home from work, I found the interview — at least at first — fun enough.

NPR's Terry Gross interviewed comedian/actor Will Ferrell, actor John C. Reilly and writer/director Adam McKay — to promote a new film.

All yukked about their careers, and then the interviewer asked Adam McKay how he and Ferrell began their collab ...

Updated: Thu Aug 07, 2008

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'Where You From?' for 08/14/2008

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700

"Where you from?"

An illegal alien from Mexico, Pedro Espinoza, allegedly asked that of Jamiel Shaw Jr., 17 — before Espinoza shot and killed him.

Shaw, a promising high-school student athlete wooed by Stanford and Rutgers, was gunned down at 8:40 p.m. just three doors from his Los Angeles home, where his father, Jamiel Shaw Sr., awaited his arrival from the mall. ...

Updated: Thu Aug 14, 2008

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McCain vs. Obama: Showdown at Saddleback for 08/21/2008

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Oh, no, not another "town hall" meeting.

Or at least, that's how I first reacted when I learned Rev. Rick Warren of Saddleback Church intended to host an Obama-versus-McCain town hall forum at the evangelist's California church.

But the rules, this time at least, seemed intriguing. Warren intended to ask each candidate one-on-one questions for one hour, with the rival of ...

Updated: Thu Aug 21, 2008

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Major Media Decide -- Vote Obama for 08/28/2008

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Lawyers call this a "declaration against interest."

Washington Post ombudsperson Deborah Howell wrote a column in her own newspaper comparing the paper's front-page coverage of Democratic nominee Barack Obama with that of Republican nominee John McCain.

Her findings? Examining stories from June 4, when Obama became the presumptive nominee, until Aug. 15, the Post ran 142 ...

Updated: Thu Aug 28, 2008

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JFK: Democrats' Role Model? for 09/04/2008

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700

The John F. Kennedy legacy came up repeatedly during the Democratic National Convention. But today, would JFK even be a Democrat?

Kennedy supported, in today's lexicon, a George W. Bush-like "belligerent" approach to fighting the Cold War, and told CBS' Walter Cronkite it would be "a great mistake" to withdraw the American presence from Vietnam. In his 1961 ...

Updated: Thu Sep 04, 2008

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Obama vs. McCain -- a Clear Choice for 09/11/2008

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700

A matter of "neighborliness." That's how Democratic presidential aspirant Barack Obama justified raising taxes.

Obama compared the circumstances of a person who is "sitting pretty" with that of a waitress. The waitress struggles, said Obama, while the rich can, and should, pay more. Nothing more, really, than a standard soak-the-rich plan, redistributing the wealth fr ...

Updated: Thu Sep 11, 2008

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Palin's 1st Test for 09/18/2008

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700

So how did Gov. Sarah Palin, the Republican vice presidential candidate, handle her first big-time sit-down interview?

ABC News' Charlie Gibson asked pointed questions about her fitness for office and her views on foreign policy. After Palin strongly answered "yes" to the question about her preparedness to assume the presidency, Gibson asked whether she agrees with the "Bu ...

Updated: Thu Sep 18, 2008

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Is Capitalism on the Ropes? for 09/25/2008

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700

An indictment of greed! A case for more government intervention! Worst financial crisis since the Great Depression! Failure of capitalism! This list includes the "lessons" of the recent turmoil in the financial markets. Nonsense.

Down with greed!

Someone please produce the gun held to the temples of borrowers who put little or no money down, took out "teaser" r ...

Updated: Thu Sep 25, 2008

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Memo to McCain: Take the Gloves Off for 10/02/2008

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

McCain loses — the first debate, that is.

Blown opportunities? Let us count the ways:

Obama says, without rebuttal, that his plan lowers taxes on "95 percent of working families." This is flatly impossible because 32 percent of income tax returns filed (some 43 million Americans) pay absolutely nothing in federal income taxes. Obama makes his claim by offering a $5 ...

Updated: Thu Oct 02, 2008

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In Defense of 'The Rich' for 10/09/2008

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

So, what do "the rich" pay in federal income taxes? Nothing, right? That, at least, is what most people think. And Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama wants to raise the top marginal rate for "the rich" — known in some quarters as "job creators."

A recent poll commissioned by Investor's Business Daily asked, in effect, "What share do yo ...

Updated: Thu Oct 09, 2008

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The Case Against Barack Obama, Part 1 for 10/16/2008

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama promises to "cut taxes for 95 percent of American workers." That's not possible.

Why? More than 30 percent pay nothing in federal income taxes. Obama comes up with this number by calling tax credits "tax cuts." One can debate whether these things are good or bad, but they are not tax cuts. McCain offers refundable tax cre ...

Updated: Thu Oct 16, 2008

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The Case Against Barack Obama, Part 2 for 10/23/2008

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

1) What about this business of Barack Obama and William Ayers?

Ayers and his wife, Bernardine, belonged to a radical terror group in the '60s and '70s called Weather Underground. The organization committed murders, bombings and attempted acts of terrorism. In a Sept. 11, 2001, article about Ayers' book "Fugitive Days," Ayers showed no remorse. Indeed, he said: "I don't reg ...

Updated: Thu Oct 23, 2008

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Senator Government for 10/30/2008

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama wants you — to redistribute your wealth.

In Obama's highly publicized encounter with Joseph Wurzelbacher — aka “Joe the Plumber” — the candidate said he wanted to use taxpayers' money to “spread the wealth.” A gutsy local Orlando television anchor interviewed Democratic vice presidential contender Joe Biden:

Anchor: ...

Updated: Thu Oct 30, 2008

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Do You Need an Obama To Believe? for 11/06/2008

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800

"Does Obama's victory, as a black man, make you feel that you can do anything?" Someone asked me that on election night.

It is a caricature of America that, pre-Obama, major obstacles blocked achievement. It is equally a caricature that Obama's win suddenly creates opportunity that did not exist before.

Hard work wins, my dad always told me. My Republican father, who dis ...

Updated: Thu Nov 06, 2008

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They Shilled for Obama for 11/13/2008

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800

Guilty!

One of the nation's premier newspapers fesses up about allegations of pro-Obama bias. The Washington Post's ombudsperson, Deborah Howell, tracked its presidential campaign stories, front-page coverage and use of photos covering the period from Obama's nomination on June 4 to Election Day. The result?

Howell writes: "The op-ed page ran far more laudatory opinion pieces ...

Updated: Thu Nov 13, 2008

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Time To Reassess the Iraq War? for 11/20/2008

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800

President-elect Barack Obama, on "60 Minutes," defended the financial bailout package.

Yes, said Obama, the economy continues to suffer, but "I think the part of the way to think about it is things could be worse. … So part of what we have to measure against is what didn't happen and not just what has happened."

Interesting. Why not apply the "what didn't ...

Updated: Thu Nov 20, 2008

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The Teflon President-Elect for 11/27/2008

Thu, 27 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800

"How long do you think it will take for the press to turn on Obama?" a friend asked.

"Eight years, if he's in that long," I told him. "Doesn't matter what happens. Either they'll blame Bush or 'circumstances beyond Obama's control' while writing articles about how heroically Obama handles them." It's already started.

Take President-elect Barack Obama' ...

Updated: Thu Nov 27, 2008

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