A Scandalous Double Standard

"Now, perhaps the president didn’t experience the fallout from a scandal, which is very different from never having been involved in one. For this confusion, Obama can thank the political media."
 ~ David Harsanyi

Just because the media didn't cover the Obama scandals does not mean they did not exist. In actuality, the Obama administration presided over numerous scandals, all of which were soft-pedaled by an adoring media that quickly swept them under the news rug and galloped on to the next story, hoping none of us would notice.

(Memo to Media: We did notice. That's why Trump is now president.)

The Obama scandals are quite extensive, and they impacted the country far more than President Trump's daily tweets. Trump's tweets, as ubiquitous, tasteless, and often inane as they are, still unfailingly manage to shock the waiting reporters, who spend hours analyzing each word while ignoring the positive nationwide effects of tax cuts, a robust economy, and low unemployment.

What are the Obama scandals? Below is a partial list:

1. Fast and Furious gun-walking
2. Solyndra subsidies
3. IRS targeting of conservative groups
4. Black Panthers intimidating voters at the Philadelphia polls on Election Day
5. The VA's phony waiting lists
6. Benghazi
7. Spying on reporter James Rosen, among others
8. Cartons of cash flown to a terrorist state to pay for a hostage
9. The Clinton email server (that Obama learned about "in the papers." Sure he did.)

I could go on, but you get the idea. I'm not including "Spygate" just yet, but if true, that could be the whopper of the bunch--if it's covered by the media.

In fairness, flip the situations around. Imagine the outcry if Donald Trump had run guns to Mexico and one of our Border Patrol agents was murdered by one of those guns? What would the media reaction be if Trump gave away hundreds of millions of dollars to "stimulate" a company that ended up bankrupt? What would the outrage be if he had instructed the IRS to target, harass, and block liberal 503c organizations?

Keep going. Work your way through the list and tell me President Trump wouldn't be a pile of fried hash if he had done even one of those things. Yet Barack Obama, with his usual pompous arrogance, is allowed by the complicit media to boast that he "didn't have scandals."

Obama had more scandals than do most presidents. The only missing element in Obama's scandals is the media coverage.

In Honor of Memorial Day

Remembering the sacrifices that ensured our lives of freedom.

Clearly "Animals"

"Clarity is more important than agreement."

~ Dennis Prager


If you've never read his books or listened to Dennis Prager on the radio or in a Prager U video, you're missing one of the most learned and logical thinkers of our time.

Prager is a very agile-minded conservative; this drives left-leaning people absolutely crazy. It's exceedingly difficult for his critics to win an argument with him, because his facts are so thoroughly researched and clearly expressed. That is his golden rule--clarity. Disagreement is all well and good with Prager, so long as both parties understand why their disagreement exists.

His magnanimity regarding differing viewpoints also drives lefties crazy. So crazy, in fact, that YouTube has restricted several dozen Prager U videos. That's a typical tactic of the "tolerant" left. Opposing opinions are not welcome; you must agree with them, or die.

Today, Prager takes apart E.J. Dionne's emotional rant in the Washington Post about President Trump's "animals" comment on the MS-13 gang members. As usual, Prager presents fact upon reason in his "Why the Left Won't Call Anyone 'Animals'" piece. It's clear that there isn't much left of Dionne's case by the end of Prager's rebuttal.

Clarity. It's a rare gift.

Stephen Piscotty hits an emotional home run in his first at-bat after hi...

                        

Moments like this are the reason I love baseball best of all sports.

Triple Thanks

I'm in that remarkably blessed demographic of women who today are able to celebrate yet another Mother's Day as a daughter, as a mother, and as a grandmother. Why this trifecta of good fortune has graced me I do not know; I only know that I'm grateful for this gift-times-three.

Happy Mother's Day to all moms, especially to my amazing mother, to my wonderful daughter, to my cherished daughter-in-law--and to me.

Apples vs. Oranges

As a rule, I don't like presidential comparisons. Each president is so individual, such a product of his own experience, current events, and the political winds of the day, that comparisons seem unfair. But on the topic of unfairness, let's consider for a moment how the media might react if President Donald Trump's accomplishments had been achieved by President Barack Obama.

Below are a few random samples:

1. Ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell

If President Obama had appointed an openly gay man to such a high ranking government position, there would have been a rapid confirmation vote in the Senate followed by LGBT parades in the streets, all covered 24/7 by an adoring media. President Trump's gay nominee, however, was held up for months in the confirmation process, accused of being "misogynistic" in past tweets and "dismissive" of Russian meddling in our elections. Evidently gay is not so good if Trump makes the selection.

2. CIA Director, Gina Haspel

Again, if Obama had chosen the first woman to run the CIA, there would be a similarly fast confirmation accompanied by praise and adulation bordering on hysteria in the media and #MeToo land. Not only does President Trump get no credit for nominating a highly qualified woman, her confirmation is by no means certain. She is being portrayed as a sadistic proponent of waterboarding during the Iraq war, almost as though she had toted some buckets herself.

3. The Economy

Between deregulation in business, the booming stock market, and the popular tax cuts, President Trump's economy is apparently a great deal more dynamic and positive than President Obama's economy was. If you wait to hear the liberal media admit that fact, you have a lifetime hobby.

4. North Korea

President Trump has used some startling tactics in dealing with the Hermit Kingdom. Calling its leader "Rocket Man" seemed somewhat reckless at the time, but look where we find ourselves today. The leaders of North and South Korea have met, hugged, and crossed each other's borders for the first time in over seven decades; negotiations on removing nuclear weapons from the peninsula are scheduled to begin soon; and today, three US prisoners were released from North Korea and are on their way home.

If President Obama had accomplished even one of those things, the media would be actively promoting a second Nobel Peace Prize for him. But since President Trump is the architect of these successes (regardless of his methods), barely a mention is made in mainstream media without dire warnings and doleful faces. In tones of solemnity and doubtfulness, we are admonished that it's all likely to backfire.

We get it, network news anchors. Obama, apples--good; Trump, oranges--bad. The constant pounding against all things Trump gets more than a bit wearying. I wonder what the liberal media will do if President Trump not only completes his first term, but wins a second one? While I consider that very real possibility, please pass me the fruit bowl. I'd like an orange.