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A recurring theme during the Obama presidency has been that, despite the distinct sense he gives of a man who sees himself as “above it all,” the president is a regular down-to-earth Joe. His efforts to connect with the hoi polloi have not always succeeded. His most recent attempt, enrolling in Obamacare, was sullied by the revelation that he didn’t actually dirty his own hands navigating the exchanges — his “staff” enrolled for him — and the gesture was purely symbolic anyway. Former Bush speechwriter Marc Thiessen observed at the Washington Post that the cynicism of the move would be

I'm far from an engineer, which is why I am posing this question. Pardon me if my line of thinking is askew. My rudimentary understanding of what & how digital television stations broadcast is that they have 5 "channels" over which to send their signals now. My question is: Is there currently a way or do you think there wil be a way in the near future - for television stations to offer --high speed WIRELESS Internet service-- as opposed to mere broadcasting of program, which of course is becoming obsolete. In my basic thinking, I presume that 5 channels...

I've gotten a number of messages in the last few days — from both supporters and opponents of gay rights — expressing sympathy over the rude and hateful messages I've been getting (and publishing) ever since I started writing about Phil Robertson. This is sweet, but misplaced. The worst of my problems from being openly gay is that I get some nasty email. That means I have it really easy. In a country where gay teenagers are being bullied at school and thrown out of their homes by their parents and told by their clergy that they're going to Hell,...

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and some members of the Duck Dynasty family will be on Fox News for its New Year's Eve programming Tuesday night. After A&E suspended patriarch Phil Robertson for comments to GQ magazine that were deemed to be "anti-gay," the network, which is owned by Disney, reinstated Robertson last Friday. Palin is the politician that many, including a prominent columnist for The Hill, said most resonates with Duck Dynasty nation... Palin was the first politician of note to vigorously defend Robertson immediately after he got suspended, saying that "free speech is an endangered species" and "those...

When an attempt was made to railroad George Zimmerman into prison for defending himself when assaulted, most conservatives fell silent, and some joined the lynch mob -- and, to the best of my knowledge, not a single public official stood up to denounce what was going on. More recently, when A&E suspended Phil Robertson of the Duck Dynasty for have the effrontery to repeat age-old Christian doctrine in an interview with Gentleman's Quarterly, Sarah Palin, Bobby Jindal, and Ted Cruz let A&E have it. But the Republican establishment was present and accounted for only in its absence from the scene....

The best part of this jaw-dropping display of ignorance from MSNBC’s Joy Reid on Christianity? It comes in a segment called — wait for it — “Pretenders”! Reid argues that Sarah Palin, whose latest book celebrates Christmas, was a hypocrite and a bad Christian because … she put up a Christmas tree! Why, the noted Biblical scholar Reid smirked, that’s a violation of Scripture:(VIDEO-AT-LINK)JOY REID, SUBSTITUTE HOST: In “Pretenders” tonight, a merry Palin Christmas. Sarah Palin dropped by Fox & Friends to promote her manifesto on Christmas purity. She brought a treat better than Christmas cookies – family photos. (BEGIN...

A&E's decision to reinstate Phil Robertson on Duck Dynasty shows the network has "chosen profits over African American and gay people," the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) said on Saturday. "Phil Robertson should look African American and gay people in the eyes and hear about the hurtful impact of praising Jim Crow laws and comparing gay people to terrorists," GLAAD said in a statement. "If dialogue with Phil is not part of next steps then A+E has chosen profits over African American and gay people -- especially its employees and viewers." Roberts was suspended from the hit show...

A stir in the upscale restaurant at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills was evident as soon as the men with the forest-thick beards and camouflage gear entered, accompanied by wife, kids and entourage. The group instantly seemed out of place among the lunchtime crowd of sharply attired patrons, many in suits and ties. But it was immediately clear that more than a few of the customers recognized them as the Robertsons of A&E's "Duck Dynasty."It was late February, more than nine months before "Duck Dynasty" became the lightning rod for one of the year's most contentious TV controversies....

As the Left foams at the mouth over Phil Robertson, the Christian man who described Almighty God's take on homosexuality and other gross sins, their fear is becoming more and more apparent. They seem gradually to be realizing that they are a pernicious minority that only thrives because they are bolstered by Obama's morally corrupt federal government; intellectually lightweight media, devoid of principles; and interestingly, a general decency of American people influenced by the nation's Judeo-Christian roots. The masses, however, are becoming increasingly fed up with the Left's imposition of a twisted worldview that does not comport with anything resembling...

"I stand with Phil" petition links have been restored on Twitter after supporters of the "Duck Dynasty" patriarch, Phil Robertson, claimed the social media site purposely blocked the website for political reasons. Earlier in the week, Twitter users attempting to post links to the "I stand with Phil" petition website were prevented from doing so, receiving messages that the content they were posting contained malware or that the site was spam. In a statement to MarketingLand.com on Tuesday, Twitter claimed the incident was an "error" stemming from an "outside organization." "The URL IStandWithPhil.com was mistakenly flagged as spam tonight, by...

A major sponsor backing the "Duck Dynasty" guys won't be pulling a Cracker Barrel -- they're standing firmly behind Phil Robertson. Realtree Outdoors -- which distributes all Duck Commander products -- says the company's values align with Phil's ... so the partnership will remain intact. Realtree honchos say they respect everyone's right to express their opinion -- BUT they take their "Family, Friends and the Outdoors" slogan to heart. Guess they won't be selling rainbow flannels anytime soon.

<p>It seems that for liberals in the media, Phil Robertson has become a modern-day Emmanuel Goldstein, the number one enemy of the people in George Orwell's classic "1984." On Saturday, "humor columnist" Bill Mann used a racial slur against Robertson in an article at USA Today, calling him a "cracker" in an article about things one would not want under the Christmas tree. Mann followed that up with a tweet attacking Sarah Palin and the Duck Dynasty cast on Sunday.</p>

Some people did not like my recent article about Phil Robertson, star of "Duck Dynasty."In the article, I noted problems with Robertson's comments that go far beyond the idea that homosexuality is a sin. Robertson said blacks didn't seem unhappy about oppression in the Jim Crow-era South; he blamed Pearl Harbor on the failure of the Japanese to accept Jesus; and contrary to his protestations, he hates gay people. I don't think any of that is O.K. I got dozens of letters taking issue with my claims. Some of the letters are hilarious and some are sad, like the father...

Amid the turmoil caused by the suspension of “Duck Dynasty’s” Phil Robertson in relation to an interview he gave with GQ, an outpouring of support has emerged from those defending the bearded A&E star. Which only prompts one to wonder whether these people really know whom exactly it is they’re defending. However real and natural it might appear, “Duck Dynasty” is a sitcom. Not all the dialogue is written, but as even the Robertsons freely admitted on the “Today” show, “They come up with ideas and we just get to be ourselves in the situation.” So while Robertson can be...

GLAAD says they have never gotten more angry phone calls and emails than they have since they decided to launch their attack on Phil Robertson, and escalated their speech and thought war against Christians at the same time. But Yahoo reports that they’re not apt to learn anything. The group still wants to re-educate Phil Robertson. After the meeting (between A&E executives and GLAAD), GLAAD issued its statement on Robertson’s comments. A&E initially released a statement from Robertson in which he said he would “never treat anyone with disrespect just because they are different from me.” But the network declined...

It was only a matter of time before the left complained about Phil Robertson. His actual quotes in GQ are almost insignificant – at some point, someone was going to go after him for his views on guns, women, and even his much-hated “yuppie” comments. The surprise should be how liberals dismissed the rise of Duck Dynasty until this fall, when it was too late to stem the show’s popularity. Once it became evident that this family held so much influence, the left suddenly realized they faced the first threat to their decades-long monopoly on popular culture. Anyone familiar with...

"Duck Dynasty" will NOT go homeless if A&E decides to pull the plug ... TMZ has learned, at least two other networks are salivating at the chance to pick up the popular reality show. The owner of the popular Christian-affiliated Hunt Channel -- a guy named Merrill Sport -- tells TMZ, he'd pick up DD in a heart beat ... and would beam the show straight to its most loyal viewers: sportsmen and Christians. He says, "We believe in the 2nd amendment and freedom of speech ... A&E needs to put on their big boy pants, and if they don't...

Having grown up living in a trailer -- but having never, ever watched “Duck Dynasty” -- I feel uniquely qualified to say this: Enough with the trailer-trash TV shows. I don’t really care which side of the septic tank you stand on regarding the stuff that “Duck Dynasty” star Phil Robertson spouted. Like a mountain lion stalking a deer (an example the show’s fans might like), he was just doing what came natural when he mouthed off about gays, blacks, God and the little woman. It’s not his fault. It’s America’s. We -- well, fine, not all “we’s” but enough...

If you're confused how a duck hunting entrepreneur's disparaging comments about gay people became the biggest news story of the week, you're not alone. There were plenty of other things to talk about, from Iran and Syria, to Obamacare and the NSA, yet "Duck Dynasty" star Phil Robertson's suspension from A&E commanded by far the most interest, as anyone who monitors traffic for news websites could tell you. The story has stayed atop the news ranking site Memeorandum's leaderboard for the past three days and absolutely dominated Google searches compared to other stories: (INTERACTIVE-GRAPH-AT-LINK)Why? You could blame a slow news...

The “Duck Dynasty” controversy just got a major shot in the arm. Actor Charlie Sheen exploded on Phil Robertson for the reality TV star's totally non-winning comments on homosexuality. In a long rambling message on Twitpic Saturday, Sheen calls the "Duck Dynasty" star "Mallard brained" and a "shower dodger" and tells him his comments were "abhorrently and mendaciously unforgivable.” "The idea that you have a job outside of dirt-clod stacking is a miracle," the "Anger Management" star writes. "Shame on you. You're the only surviving brain donor I've ever known." Robertson has received a lot of criticism for his comments...